LWB treatment plant upgrading taking shape

Lilongwe Water Board (LWB) says it has completed 97 percent of the upgrading of its Water Treatment Works under phase II to ease water woes in the city.

According to a press statement signed by the  board’s public relations officer, Bright Sonani, the contractor is scheduled to complete the works by October 31.

The statement further says since the first shutdown in September this year, which was followed by several other shutdowns to enable the contractor connect the existing water pipes to the new treatment plant, the contractor has worked tirelessly to complete the works.

The statement says the completion of the works  will be followed by a series of test runs  for the next three months and the official commissioning is expected to be done at the end of this year.

“The current project, which is at a total cost of $8.7 million [about K5 billion], includes construction for concrete water treatment units and electromechanical works as well as power connection with the Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (Escom) which also involves upgrading of our transformer to 1 500kva,” reads the statement in part.

The  board, however, says despite the many challenges it is facing, it has strived to minimise water interruptions while the upgrading of its water treatment plant is in progress.

LWB, however, says one of the major challenges is that they were tampering with a live system which may at times cause interruptions to some supply points.

The board has since  commended consumers  for their continued support despite  inconveniences due to shutdowns as a result of the works.