President Lazarus Chakwera has spoken against corruption in the construction sector, saying it does not only delay projects but also drains public resources.
He made the remarks Thursday in Nkhata Bay District during the commissioning of the $30.5 million (approximately K31 billion) Nkhata Bay Town Water Supply System and Sanitation Project.
Chakwera, who was in the company of State Vice President Saulos Chilima, said it has become a tendency in some quarters of the society for some government officials to deliberately delay a project so that the cost can be increased.
The President’s remarks follow the completion of the Northern Region Water Board (NRWB) project which the board says has been completed before the deadline, saving them money.
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The project is expected to benefit 25,000 people, who will get connected to potable water.
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The water supply and sanitation project seeks to improve access to potable water and improve the health status of 105,572 people within Nkhata Bay Town and surrounding areas.
“There are other officials somewhere and other workers somewhere who connive with some contractors to slow down a project, consequently raising the cost so that they should share [the money], but this has not been the story of Nkhata Bay,” he said.
Chakwera then said Malawi has been off-track in the provision of water and adherence to sanitation standards despite getting warnings from the United Nations.
He then said the coming in of the project is not a favour but a responsibility of the government.
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“For a long time, the United Nations has warned that Malawi is seriously off-track to meet Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) number 6, which calls for water and sanitation for all by 2030, yet very little was being done to get Malawi on track. And, in this regard, the great people of Nkhata Bay have been among the most underserved in our country,” he said.
In his remarks, NRWB Board Chairperson Frank Mwenifumbo said they were challenged by the government to contribute to the national transformation agenda as enshrined in the Malawi 2063 vision to transform district towns into secondary cities.
“It was sad that Nkhata Bay, a tourist attraction district, was one of the areas affected by cholera because of lack of potable water. We believe that this project will change the narrative,” he said.
The $30.5 million project involved rehabilitating, upgrading and expanding the Nkhata Bay Town water supply system and the provision of solid and liquid waste management facilities to provide reliable and sustainable potable water and sanitation services.
Infrastructure construction works started in 2019.
African Development Bank Country Manager Macmillan Anyanwu said the commissioning of the water project is timely as the country seeks to provide potable water to all by 2030.
Anyanwu said the bank believes that water is critical and a catalyst for a healthy and developed country.
“…four million Malawians still have no access to safe drinking water, which means we still have more work to do,” he said.
He then said the bank would continue to support Malawi.
Anyanwu cited the new Rumphi Water Supply Project, which the bank will finance to the tune of $32 million, as testament to their continued support.
The project is expected to start in October this year.
Water and Sanitation Minister Abida Mia said the ministry will continue to invest in water development infrastructure to achieve SDG number six, which mandates countries to ease access to clean water and sanitation services.
Mia said areas under Senior Chief Mankhambira, Senior Chief Fukamapiri and Sub- Traditional Authority Mndola in Nkhata Bay District have attained open defecation-free status, attributing the development to the effect of the Nkhata Bay Town Water Supply and Sanitation Project.
