Northern Region Water Board (NRWB) has said the Karonga Town Water Supply project will be ready next month as all substantive elements have been completed.
In an interview yesterday, NRWB Chief Executive Officer Francis Munthali said that water from the new system has reached all the targeted areas, including Nyungwe, Mpata and Pusi.
Munthali said they are currently conducting pressure testing, flushing and disinfecting some pipelines before the official supply of potable water begins.
“The next task will now be to connect individual customers but by September the water will be ready and we will start connecting new customers.
“Already, we have received about 15,000 new applications. We are even planning that President Lazarus Chakwera should come in October this year to inaugurate the project,” he said.
Munthali said they intend to reduce non-revenue water from the current 54 percent to around 25 percent.
The $26.7 million Karonga Town Water Supply project intends to reach out to 184, 000 people in Karonga and surrounding areas.
Among various challenges the project has faced, Munthali mentioned Covid and the devaluation of the Kwacha, which has led the contractor to request an upward adjustment of about 22 percent of the total cost.
“We are still assessing the submissions from the contractor and we shall determine how much we shall be able to give out,” he said.
Commenting on the progress, Karonga District Council Chairperson Bellium Msukwa said many areas such as Mlare face water challenges
Msukwa said one can easily point out locals from visitors by looking at their teeth as the majority of them have brown teeth due to consumption of salty water.
“It is high time we had this water. You know, Karonga is hot and the need for potable water cannot be overemphasised. We have waited for this project for far too long. We just believe they will live up to their word,” he said.
Currently, Karonga residents rely on a water system installed by Paladin Africa in 2010, which is plagued by leaks and is unable to meet the growing demand.
The project, which was assigned to China State Construction Engineering Limited, began in March 2021 and was expected to be completed by 2023.
The Karonga water project is co-financed by Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa with $10 million, the Opec Fund for International Development with $15 million, and the Government of Malawi with $1.7 million.
0 Comments