By Moses Nyirenda
Lilongwe, September 17, Mana: World Bank says it is impressed with the implementation of Lilongwe Water and Sanitation Project (LWSP) which seeks to improve water supply and sanitation in Lilongwe City.
The project is being implemented by Lilongwe Water Board (LWB) and Lilongwe City Council (LCC) with funding from World Bank.
Speaking on Thursday during World Bank Directors Strategy and Operations (DSO)’s visit to the LWSP sites, World Bank Director of Strategy and Operations for Eastern and Southern Africa, Humberto Lopez said they were satisfied with how the project was being implemented.
“We are really pleased with how the project is being carried out; we have seen people benefiting from the project by among other things, having easy potable water access through modern water kiosks,” Lopez said.
He pledged continued financial support from World Bank to the project so that more people benefit from it in the city.
“It is a priority for World Bank to provide more funding to this project as we want a lot of people to benefit from it by having easy water access and improved sanitary facilities, including improved sewer connections,”he said.
LWSP is also facilitating a project dubbed e-Madzi which provides easy access to water among Lilongwe City residents through technologically advanced water kiosks. Additionally, the project also works to replace old water supplying pipes with new ones.
One of the project beneficiaries from Area 36, Magret Mayombo, commended LWSP for the project, saying before the project, they used to walk long distances at dawn to fetch water, which she said was putting their lives and families at risk.
Apart from easing water supply access, LWSP is also rehabilitating and expanding sewage network as well as installing 5,000 new sewer connections in the city.
The project will also support the construction of 8,000 improved sanitation facilities including toilets that will benefit poor and vulnerable households.
Currently, funding for the project includes US$75 million (over MK 59.8 billion) credit from World Bank/IDA, US$25 million (over MK 19.9 billion) grant from World Bank/IDA and US$2 million (over MK1.5 billion) from the Government of Malawi.
In her remarks, Minister of Forestry and Natural Resources, Nancy Tembo hailed World Bank for the support.
“As government, we appreciate World Bank for its support towards Lilongwe Water and Sanitation Project which has raised the bar for LWB, enabling them to supply clean water to the communities in Lilongwe City. We have seen women accessing potable water through e-Madzi kiosks.
“We have learnt that in the past, women were walking long distances to fetch water but now with the project, which has facilitated the construction of water kiosks almost everywhere in communities, women are now served”Tembo said.
