Southern Region Water Board (SRWB) needs $217 million (about K217 billion) to recover from the shock brought about by Cyclone Freddy.
The tropical cyclone brought torrential rainfall to southern Malawi from March 11 and 18 2023, causing devastating floods and mudslides and leaving a trail of destruction across 13 districts.
In an interview, SRWB Chief Executive Officer Duncan Chambamba said the utility company has not yet recovered from the shock of the cyclone.
“Of course, we have put in place some systems that people are currently using but we need systems that are resilient
“For this to happen, we need to tap water from Thuchira.
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And we need a lot of money for the board to recover fully and be able to provide potable water,” Chambamba said.
Parliamentary Committee on Natural Resources and Climate Change Chairperson Werani Chilenga said the board has overestimated the money.
He said it is not only SRWB that was hit hard.
“These boards are already getting a lot of money from water bills and it is sad that they are not content. As far as we agree that the board has to recover, but there should be transparency in how they operate and spend their finances,” Chilenga said.
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SRWB aims at supplying quality and safe water to urban and peri-urban areas of the Southern Region with the exception of the City of Blantyre.
The board has 25 supply areas subdivided into five zones and has over 50,267 customers spread across the Southern Region.
