BWB to solve water problem

Blantyre Water Board (BWB) says it will fix the water shortage problem residents in the commercial city are facing.

In a statement issued after Vice-President Saulosi Chilima gave the utility body a 30-day ultimatum to rectify the problem, the board has assured its customers that it will solve the problem.

Read the statement in part: “We have put in place measures to end technical hiccups, including replacing of worn out pipes. [We have also] improved on response time to faults by assigning caretakers to designated areas.”

Last Wednesday, Chilima engaged BWB to, among other things, get clarity on what has led the water board to incur K8.9 billion loss in the 2019/20 financial year.

“We have resolved and agreed that erratic water supply in Blantyre should be a thing of the past effective October 2 2020. This means that we have given management 30 days to fix the problem and the board has committed to implement this,” reads Chilima’s Facebook post.

A Ndirande resident, Ruth Banda, has asked BWB to walk the talk, saying dry taps force residents to use unsafe water.

“Without water, it is difficult to practise hygiene. In this time of Covid-19, water should be readily available for use,” she said.

Another resident, Elube Mitochi from Machinjiri, said BWB should quickly fix the problem as schools have opened.

“Learners will need water to wash their hands regularly, a regulation in the prevention of Covid-19,” she said.

Some Blantyre townships including Ndirande, Machinjiri, Namiyango, Zingwangwa, Kanjedza and Mbayani have been experiencing erratic water supply for some weeks.