Mchinji to face critical water shortage

Mchinji District residents should brace themselves for critical water shortages as the main source of water at Mchinji Hill is drying up.

Central Region Water Board (CRWB) said this on Monday when they sensitised representatives of water consumers in the district, who included traditional leaders, heads of institutions and organisations on the impending water crisis.

Mchinji  residents have experienced intermittent water supply and dry taps since June this year, a situation which has led to residents walking long distances to fetch water from boreholes.

Meanwhile, CWRB has warned that the problem could worsen during this dry season as  water would completely dry out at their main source.

The board’s public relations officer Zephelino Mitumba said they are receiving low water supply from their main source at Mchinji Hill.

He said: “The volume of water at our intake keeps dwindling and this is causing us to fail to pump water into our pipes.  As a result, residents will experience  low water pressure or no water at all this dry season .”

Mitumba said the low water pressure was a result of low rainfall the district experienced last rainy season

Mchinji District water officer Mike Chilim’madzi, however, says the board should build permanent dams as reservoirs as a long-term solution. n