Mia impressed with LWB efforts to improve water situation in LL

Malawi: Abida Mia, Minister of Water and Sanitation, has praised the Lilongwe Water Board for its commitment to improving water supply and sanitation for residents of Lilongwe City and surrounding areas.

She said this is in line with the board's 2020-2025 strategic plan, which seeks to contribute to the Malawi Government Development Agenda 2063, which identifies water as a critical ingredient in the country's socioeconomic transformation.

The development comes as part of the Lilongwe Water and Sanitation Project, in which the Board has established two storage facilities and a pumping tower station at their offices and in Area 25, respectively, which the Minister will commission on Wednesday, September 5, 2022.

Mia stated that her ministry is fully committed to supporting the project, which addresses water supply challenges and will benefit hundreds of thousands of people in Lilongwe City Southwest, part of Lilongwe City West, Nanjiri, Bunda road to Chiseka, western Bypass, Mpingu, Airwing, Chitedze, and Dzenza.

"As the country fights cholera, both components 1 and 2 are more important than ever to my ministry, as improved access to clean water and sanitation contributes to good health, increased cognitive awareness, and thus increased productivity. You are aware that improved sanitation facilities and water supply services are an essential aspect of human development, and because this project is targeting 500,000 people as direct beneficiaries, 250,000 with improved water services and the remaining 250,000 with safely managed services, my ministry's mission is to push for improved water and sanitation services not only in Lilongwe City but throughout Malawi,” she explained.

She stated the project is one of several that will help the country meet its goal of achieving 100% national access to potable water and sanitation services by 2030.

Silli Mbewe, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Lilongwe Waterboard, stated that they have service reservoirs with a combined capacity of 8.8 million litres and 85% storage capacity, a chlorine booster, pressure booster stations powered by solar energy, and two pump stations, one at Treatment Works II at Madzi house with a capacity to pump 910 litres every second to Mwenda tanks at Biwi and Mtunthama tanks in Area 3 and the other in Airwin

"We are actually implementing a total of four components, with Component one being Network Rehabilitation, Expansion, and NRW reduction; Component two being priority sanitation improvements; Component three is technical assistance to facilitate project implementation, and Component four is looking into Institutional Capacity Strengthening," he explained.

The World Bank is funding the project through LWB as part of the Lilongwe Water and Sanitation project, and the Bank's Country Manager Hugh Ridell says the bank is still committed to working with Malawi to ensure access to potable water.

"I am delighted with the project's progress thus far; we all know that water is life, and we are committed to ensuring that communities have safe and potable water so that the project can achieve its objectives," he said.

National access to potable water is estimated to be 70%, with 29% having access to sanitation services.