By Lily Kampani
Lilongwe Water Board (LWB) has expressed concern over the growing rate of Non- Revenue Water (NRW), describing it as one of the biggest challenges stifling the water supply business in the country.
According to LWB, the rate of NRW for LWB was at 37.9 per cent as of December 2019, translating to an equivalent volume of 1.2 million cubic meters of water annually, which is approximately K 1.6 billion.
LWB Acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Moses Mwenye made the remarks on Wednesday in Lilongwe, at a joint coordination meeting for a four year project between LWB and Japan International Corporation Agency (JICA) aimed at strengthening the capacity of NRW reduction for LWB.
“We have engaged in a number of initiatives to make sure we reduce the amount of water lost, as well as to enhance the capacity of our members of staff in the quest to continue providing our customers with clean and portable water,” he stated.
Mwenye noted that LWB was probably the only Water Board in the country to have established a toll free 24/7 customer call centre, were customers are given an opportunity to serve together with LWB in addressing the water supply challenges by reporting faults and illegal connections.
Chief Representative for JICA Koichi Kito described the meeting as an opportunity for LWB and JICA to take stock of activities, successes and challenges encountered during implementation.
“This project is a climate resilient water management approach and the reduction of NWR will contribute to not only the efficient use of water resources but also mitigation of climate change by saving energy,” he said.
LWB urges its customers to report a pipe burst or leak by dialing 253 customer call centre for free.
