Brace for a tough weekend as Blantyre Water Board (BWB) has said it will shut down its Walker’s Ferry main pumping station this Sunday to carry out inspection works for the rehabilitation and renewal of the water intake.
In a press statement signed by BWB public affairs officer Priscilla Mateyu, the water supplier said the shutdown will see consumers in Blantyre and its surrounding areas experiencing no water supply on the day and cautioned that restoration of water supply in areas may vary.
“BWB was granted funding by the European Union [EU] and the European Investment Bank [EIB] to facilitate upgrading of its production capacity to provide reliable and affordable water supply to its customers. Since July last year, BWB has been working on increasing capacity at its Walker’s Ferry water treatment plant and pumping station. Other works are taking place at Mudi, Chileka and Chichiri pumping stations,” said Mateyu.
She added that additional reservoirs are being built at Kameza, Chigumula and Chimwankhunda which will ensure sustenance of water supply to areas such as Chilobwe, Chigumula and Bvumbwe.
The board further warns that there will be more water interruptions due to capacity improvement and upgrade works up to August this year.
BWB has, however, noted in the statement that there have also been a lot of pipe bursts and vandalism of facilities, worsening the water supply shortage and appeals to the public to report any water wastage due to the problems.
