Chitipa water project 60% done
Northern Region Water Board (NRWB) has fast-tracked construction of the $13 million (about K9.1 billion) water plant set to improve access to water among Chitipa townspeople and communities along the pipeline.
Construction of the water system started in July last year.
On Friday, project manager Khumbo Mwafulirwa said in an interview that about 60 percent of construction works are complete, meaning the contractor is ahead of schedule by two months.
“The deadline is December 31, but we expect the remaining 40 percent of the works to be completed by October. We will use the remaining months for final touches and maintenance where necessary,” said Mwafulirwa.
The emerging plant, which will offer up to 47 000 Chitipa residents access to safe water by 2030, is being bankrolled by the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (Badea) to the tune of $10 million, with government contributing a $3 million top-up.
The bank has also invested $350 000 in training NRWB workforce.
The training sessions put 48 managers and supervisors in the frame to be equipped with team building and other vital skills to meet the statutory company’s strategic goal of delivering potable water for all by 2019.
“We have made it this far because of them and training is key to our strategic partnership with Badea because we need skilled personnel to meet our customers’ expectation,” said director of technical services Mwiza Mtawali.
Speaking during the graduation of 32 trainees at Chintheche in Nkhata Bay on Friday, board member Orton Msiska said the short-courses, with short-term sessions in Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda, are vital for the board to transition from basics to excellence in water provision. n
