Malawi is mulling over a $400-million project to draw water from Lake Malawi to supply the capital city, Lilongwe.
The project’s implementer, the Lilongwe Water Board (LWB), intends to approach international organisations for finance, with the Malawi government acting as the guarantor.
Finance, Economic Planning and Development Minister Goodall Gondwe says: “The project will draw water from the lake to Lilongwe and, in the next phases, it will also service other areas between Lilongwe and the lakeshore district of Salima.”
Lilongwe is currently in the throes of serious water shortages, prompting the LWB to introduce water rationing in the city.
To help improve Lilongwe’s water security, the board is developing groundwater resources. It is also building a new dam on the Diampwe dam and rehabilitating the Kamuzu Dam 1, one of the country’s largest water reservoirs.
Meanwhile, the Malawi government has initiated a multimillion-dollar project to tap water from Mulanje Mountain, in the southern region, to supply the city of Blantyre, which is also experiencing water shortages, owing to its growing population.