About 325 residents of Lilongwe’s Area 18, who consumed water contaminated with faecal matter on the night of 17 and 18 July 2017, can now breathe a sigh of relief, as the government is set to compensate them.
The Ministry of Justice announced on Wednesday that each resident will receive K4.2 million, bringing the total amount to K1.365 billion.
On Wednesday, Justice Minister Titus Mvalo met six representatives of the residents to update them on the progress made.
Among other things, Mvalo informed the residents that he had had several meetings with the chief executive officers of Lilongwe City Council (LCC), Malawi Housing Corporation (MHC) and Lilongwe Water Board (LWB), who were responsible for addressing the issue.
Mvalo said that all the institutions involved had agreed to compensate the affected residents, but the payments would be made in instalments.
“Next week, we will have a final meeting where payment modalities will be discussed and agreed upon,” Mvalo said.
Chairperson of the affected residents, Leonard Phiri, thanked Mvalo for what he called his dedication in ensuring that President Lazarus Chakwera’s directive was fulfilled.
“Our issue has dragged on for far too long, but we are happy that the President has heard our cries and acted on it,” Phiri said.
This latest development follows a protracted court case after the contamination incident when sewage leaked into the water supply, exposing residents to health risks.
The High Court in Lilongwe ruled in 2019 that MHC, LWB and LCC should compensate those affected.
However, MHC and LCC obtained a stay order, delaying the payments.
Gift Nankhuni, lawyer for the affected residents, successfully moved the Supreme Court to vacate the stay order, paving the way for the compensation.
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