Blantyre residents express fear over BWB’s dirty water

Residents in some parts of Blantyre city have expressed fear that their health may be at risk due to dirty water they are reportedly getting from Blantyre Water Board, (BWB).

Residents from areas such as Chilobwe , Chiwembe , Zingwangwa, Nkolokosa and areas around the Polytechnic who spoke to the media said that they have been receiving water with abnormal appearance from their taps for close to two weeks now.

According to the people, the situation is mostly worse when supplies resume after the taps had run dry, sparking suspicion that there may be shortcuts in the water treatment process by the water board.

“We don’t know what is happening to our water, it is not as clear as we usually know it. I strongly believe something is wrong with the water treatment system. I only hope that our lives are not in danger because we are drinking this water,” said Lekereni Chiotcha from Zingwangwa.

But when contacted, Blantyre Water Board spokesperson Innocent Mbvundula downplayed the fears, saying the water utility has not received any complaints so far from customers on the matter.

“We have not received any complaint about unclear water from our customers. Normally when there is any problem that customers face they do communicate to our offices, but in this case, we, as a Board have not received any complaint,” said Mbvundula in a response to questionnaire.

Mbvundula also dismissed claims that the board may be cutting corners in the water treatment process.