LWB, LCC brief MPs on $100 million water project
Lilongwe Water Board (LWB) Chief Executive Officer, Alfonso Chikuni, has said a $100 million water and sanitation project financed by the World Bank (WB) for upgrading transmission and distribution of water network will benefit half a million residents of Malawi’s capital, Lilongwe.
Chikuni said this in Lilongwe when he was lobbying parliamentarians to back and pass the water and sanitation bill which the government is expected to table in the House this week.
On December 20 2017, WB approved financing for the six-year Lilongwe Water and Sanitation Project (LWSP) which is expected to benefit half a million residents in the capital and surrounding areas, in terms of improved water services and safely managed sanitation.
Chikuni said, if the bill comes into law, it would facilitate various reforms by strengthening the capacity of both LWB and Lilongwe City Council (LCC) in the provision of sanitation services in Lilongwe.
“The project… is a milestone in as far as improvement of water supply in the city is concerned,” Chikuni said.
Chikuni pointed out that the project would help the township of Chinsapo, which is often affected by the problem of water contamination.
LCC Chief Executive Officer, Moza Zeleza, said, if the bill is passed, it will help it strategise on issues such as establishing a modern dumping site, saying the current one is in bad state.
Members of the two committees assured the two institutions that they would help pass the bill.
Both Budget and Finance Committee Chairperson, Rhino Chiphiko, and Agriculture Committee Chairperson, Joseph Chidanti Malunga, expressed concern over delays by the government to bring the bill on time, saying bills that concern the warfare of Malawians should be prioritised.
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