By Wendy Mkandawire
Lilongwe Water Board has attributed the current water supply challenges in its service area to high demand and illegal sand mining along the Lilongwe River, which is crippling water flow to treatment plants.
Board Chairperson Prophet David Mbewe said during a media visit on Friday that demand stands at 157 million liters per day against the Board’s current production capacity of 125 million liters per day
Prophet Mbewe said the rising demand is driven by the city’s booming population.
He added that illegal sand mining along the Lilongwe River is another blow, as it continues to choke operations and affect water flow from Kamuzu Dams to treatment plants.
Following a tour of water reservoirs, the under-construction Treatment Works III (TW3), and sand mining hotspots along the river, Mbewe called for collaborative efforts between chiefs and residents to curb sand mining malpractices.
Lilongwe waterboard Chief Executive Officer Dan Chaweza, however, put demand higher at 175 million litres per day against the same 125 million litres production capacity.
Chaweza said the Board is fast-tracking the completion of Treatment Works III, which will add an extra 50 million litres per day to boost supply and meet rising demand.
He further assured that Kamuzu Dam 1 and 2 have enough water to sustain demand for over 10 months during the dry season, allaying fears of an imminent El Niño impact.
