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The Northern Region Water Board (NRWB) says it requires $75 million (about K33 billion) for construction of a new dam to address the city’s increasing water demand.
FaceofMalawi Speaking to NRWB chief executive officer (CEO) Titus Mtegha, in an interview revealed on Saturday at the commissioning of a K31.5 million Ekwendeni Water Treatment Plant which will ensure that Ekwendeni is not relying on Mzuzu water system.
Currently NRWB is in talks with government and other corporate partners to raise funds for the project, said the CEO.
“We are working on developing a second dam for Mzuzu. The dam that is currently in Mzuzu is not adequate for the growing population. So, we did feasibility studies [andwe identified a suitable site where we can construct a dam that will provide enough water for the people of Mzuzu for the next 20 or 30 years.
“Once funding has been sourced, then we should be able to construct the dam and Mzuzu will be taken out of the water situation we are facing or likely to face,” he said.
Mtegha said the new dam will be constructed in Chikangawa Forest.
Mtegha said Ekwendeni water plant is one of the plants which has been idle for 10 years. “Previously, Ekwendeni was connected to Mzuzu water supply. But due to pressure Ekwendeni was exerting on Lunyangwa Dam, we decided that Ekwendeni should have its own water system by reviving the old one.
“With this system operational, it means we have taken off the pressure from Mzuzu dam. We were supplying 1 000 cubic metres of water (one million litres) from Mzuzu to Ekwendeni on a daily basis. This means we will be saving that much for our customers in Mzuzu,” he said.
