About 80 percent of Malawians depend on ground water, the Ministry of Water and Sanitation has said.
Director of Water Resources in the Ministry of Water and Sanitation James Chitete said this in Lilongwe on Wednesday at the start of the National Stakeholders Dialogue on Groundwater.
Chitete said it was, therefore, crucial for Malawi to protect ground water.
“In Malawi, 73 percent of the documented water points are groundwater-based. 85 percent of the districts depend more on groundwater as main source of water supply than surface water.
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“In fact, groundwater sustains the flow of streams and wetlands where there is no precipitation,” Chitete said.
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He added that due to the large water storage and natural treatment processes of aquifers, groundwater acts as a buffer to seasonal changes in rainfall patterns that are predicted by climate change models.
Chitete, therefore, said groundwater was, when developed and managed effectively, better placed to support climate change adaptation efforts.
He was quick to note that groundwater was often poorly understood and consequently undervalued and mismanaged.
“This is because groundwater is not directly visible, it makes it difficult to understand its nature and state, and to detect possible issues such as depletion and pollution.
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“This calls for putting high value at assessing groundwater resources, identifying groundwater impacts and interlinkages with the socio-economic and ecological systems while adopting sustainable practices when exploiting groundwater resources to meeting water needs and preserving the environment,” Chitete said.
In his keynote address, Professor of Hydrology at the University of Malawi Cosmo Ngongondo described groundwater as a resource under pressure because Malawians were failing to balance withdraw and recharge.
Ngongondo observed that pollution, poor waste management and increased inorganic fertilisers use, among other factors, had impacted ground water, resulting in poor quality.
He underscored the need for Malawi to guard groundwater jealously by conserving the environment.
The two-day conference has attracted water scientists, engineers, researchers, managers and other stakeholders to engage on how groundwater resources can better be managed, developed and utilised in a sustainable manner for the benefit of all.
