President Lazarus Chakwera Thursday commissioned a 4.6 million euros (about K9.3 billion) Nyika-Vwaza Gravity-Fed Piped Water Scheme with hope that it will improve the livelihoods of people in Rumphi and Mzimba districts.
This is a water infrastructure project located at Thazima in Nyika National Park, developed under the Malawi-Zambia Transfrontier Conservation Area (TFCA) Project, a joint initiative between the governments of Malawi and Zambia.
Chakwera said project, which directly benefits 18,433 people across Rumphi and Mzimba districts, is a foundation for projects the government intends to undertake in the district.
He said, for example, that, through the project, each village is expected to have tap water, which he said would improve sanitation levels and people’s overall livelihood.
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“We shall ensure that each market, schools and hospitals have flush toilets. All this will be possible because this water project is the foundation of many projects [to come],” he said.
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Then Chakwera appealed to community members to use the water wisely, further asking them for their vote if such projects are to continue.
Constructed with financial support from the government of Germany through KfW, and implemented by Peace Parks Foundation, the project aims to mitigate human-wildlife conflict, provide access to potable water for community members living near protected areas of Vwaza Wildlife Reserve and Nyika National Park.
In her remarks, German Ambassador to Malawi Ute Konig said the Nyika Vwaza Water Project aligned well with the Malawi 2063 vision, particularly Enabler 7, which speaks of the improvement of water sources.
Konig said Germany, which has been assisting Malawi for the past 61 years, would continue supporting biodiversity in countries in the Southern Africa Development Community.
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“The water project will make the area more attractive to tourists, which is part of the Malawi Government’s ATMM [Agriculture Tourism Mining and Manufacturing] Strategy,” she said.
The scheme taps water from Runyina River and uses gravity to transport it through a 105-kilometre transmission pipeline, supplying water to 123 communal points.
The scheme will be managed by a community-led Water User Association, supported by the Nyika-Vwaza Co-Management Trust and local district councils.
Chairperson for the Trust, Justice Edward Twea, (retired) said there was a need for capacity building of community members in Nyika and Vwaza to ensure robust maintenance systems.
“It will be futile to have all the maintenance people coming from Lilongwe or Mzuzu. So, if people are capacitated from within, we should be able to sustain the system,” he said.
Meanwhile, Minister of Tourism Vera Kamtukule has hailed community members for taking part in construction works.
Kamtukule said apart from promoting tourism, the project would enhance irrigation, which she said would boost food security in the district.
Before the project commenced, community members relied on water sources such as Lake Kazuni and the South Rukulu River, leading to frequent dangerous encounters with wildlife such as elephants and hippos.
