Nkula Walkers Ferry project commissioned

The Nkula Walkers Ferry project has been commissioned with a call for Blantyre Water Board (BWB) to keep upgrading and maintaining its equipment to guarantee constant supply of water to its customers.

Speaking when he officially commissioned the project on Tuesday, Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development Allan Chiyembekeza said he could no longer bear the suffering of residents of Blantyre due to intermittent supply of water.

“This project is important because it is the main source of portable water for residents in the city and surrounding areas and to guarantee constant water supply requires continuous maintenance,” he said.

Chiyembekeza said constant supply of water ensures reduction of health risks associated with drinking unsafe water and has the potential to significantly benefit the county’s economic and social development.
European Union Ambassador Marchel Gerrmann echoed Chiyembekeza’s sentiments, saying some of the challenges could have been avoided had BWB replaced some of the equipment.
“Maintenance of assets is a recurrent cost that needs to be budgeted in your annual plan. I would therefore insist that the board takes all necessary steps to prepare a prioritised maintenance plan and allocate a sufficient percentage of its revenue to the implementation of this plan,” urged Gerrmann.

On his part, Blantyre City Mayor Noel Chalamanda hailed BWB for successfully completing the project and urged city residents to ensure sustainability of the project by paying water bills. He also urged residents to desist from vandalism.
With the completion of the £7.1 million (about K6.8 billion) project, production of water has now been raised from 78000 cubic meters (78 Million litres) to 96 000 cubic meters (96 million litres) per day.

The theme for the day was ‘celebrating the fulfilment of BWB’s promise to the residents of Blantyre.’

Caption: Chiyembekeza (L) cuts the ribbon as Germann (M) looks on