Last year, I had one of the nasty experiences when taps at my house ran dry for three months. Yes, a whopping three months! However, I continued to do what was expected of me: Paying service fees and meter charges each and every month, lest the Blantyre Water Board (BWB) guys disconnect the “water” from my house. Sorry for the pun.
The water was not there in the first place. The unfortunate part was that there was no message from BWB, as regards what had triggered the problem. In all fairness, the problem of water shortage had affected several households, such that lives of countless people were at risk.
Mind you, this was time when we, Malawians in this case, were smarting from the unrelenting cholera pandemic that turned life upside down for many people in this country, with the number of people affected reaching 50,000-plus. I am talking about the cholera crisis that started in Machinga District and affected almost all districts of Malawi up to mid-2023 or thereabouts.
Maybe, because the time had no water for three months is a year later [in 2024], it is possible that those who are tasked with supplying us with water had forgotten about the cholera crisis. I would not be surprised to learn that they had forgotten all about it. As former State president Bakili Muluzi used to put it, “Amalawi sitichedwa kuyiwala [Malawians are a forgetful lot]”.
- Advertisement -
Whatever the case, I found it inhumane that I, and people from several other households, could go three months without water in our taps—and without an explanation from BWB. Okay. Maybe bygones should be bygones. Wait a minute! How can bygones be bygones when the problem has resurfaced? As I am talking now, I am into the sixth week without a drop of water in my house. Yes, six weeks of dry taps. And I am beginning to get afraid that it may be another three months of no water in the taps yet again—and that scares me. Yes, I am scared.
- Advertisement -
During the period I, and several households in my Chilomoni Township went without water for three months, I literally ran out of the life-giving substance, such that I was buying bottled water from the shops at Ginnery Corner in Blantyre. Come to think of it, I was buying bottled water for bathing and bottled water for drinking. Needless to say it was costly on my part, a situation made worse by the fact that it was in the dry season. This time, I am running out of water already, such that, should the current ‘unexplained’ water crisis in my house and several households take three months, I will be back to buying bottled water from retail shops again.
At the same time, I am not allowed to drill a borehole in the city because, according to the gospel of the National Water Resources Authority (NWRA), a city resident cannot drill a borehole because there are water boards there. Even residents of districts cannot do so without getting explicit permission because they have bodies like Southern Region Water Board, Central Region Water Board and Northern Region Water Board. These public bodies are tasked to be ensuring that residents are provided with potable water.
The truth is, I think there is some sort of daydreaming that takes place at NWRA, which wants us to believe that the water supply laws and systems in the country are working when they are not. I mean, how can people go three months without water when we have NWRA officials in this country? Have they joined the bandwagon of those who talk, and talk and talk, without taking requisite action? This is not on. Anyway, as I brave for, possibly, three more months without water, I expect water boards to up their game and stop taking consumers for granted.
If there is a problem with water supply, consumers have to be told. Otherwise, they should be out of business or let ordinary people like me drill boreholes in cities at will. There are no two ways about it.
