Wednesday, January 20, 2021
  • About Us
  • ImagiNATION
  • Adverts
  • Rate Card
  • Contact Us
The Nation Online
  • Home
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Life & Style
    • Every Woman
      • Soul
      • Family
    • Religion
    • Feature
  • Society
  • Opinion
  • Sports
  • Chichewa
  • Enation
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Life & Style
    • Every Woman
      • Soul
      • Family
    • Religion
    • Feature
  • Society
  • Opinion
  • Sports
  • Chichewa
  • Enation
No Result
View All Result
No Result
View All Result
Home Editors Pick

Ministry warns of more water challenges

by Archibald kasakura
23/10/2018
in Editors Pick, National News
3 min read
0
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on WhatsAppShare on LinkedinLinkedinShare via Email

 

Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development has warned of acute water supply challenges if nothing is done to save the country from the growing water crisis.

RelatedHeadlines

Low savings rate, a loss to consumers

Inside Malawi’s new vision

Consider the poor on Covid-19 measures—Nankhumwa

The ministry’s director of Water Supply and Sanitation Emma Mbalame said in a telephone interview yesterday that at the rate the country is going in terms of catchment area degradation, population boom and failure to maintain and upgrade water supply infrastructure, more people will fail to access water in the coming years.

water crisis | The Nation Online
People in most parts of the country are facing water shortages

She said: “We have a hoard of problems that we must deal with. Examples abound from the siltation which has resulted in the drying of Mpira Dam in Ntcheu [which also supplies Balaka and Neno districts], the onslaught of the Malingunde Dam catchment area [in Lilongwe].

“Water boards are failing to supply water to people because their infrastructure is depleted and needs heavy investment. The ever-growing population has overwhelmed the projections of water users.

“There must be a heavy injection of resources into water infrastructure, a stop in environmental degradation and sound consistent policies.”

Mbalame noted that some of the policies were contradicting, highlighting that while water policies were designed to facilitate planting trees to conserve catchment areas, forestry policies advocate planting of trees for harvesting.

Her sentiments come against a background of the country standing at the crossroads in terms of water problems with many districts reporting dry taps, forcing water users to draw water from unprotected sources; a recipe for waterborne diseases.

Blantyre City has since last week been experiencing dry taps where residents from Ndirande, Chirimba, Bangwe and Chilobwe townships, among others, have had to endure a minimum of three days without water.

Maness Chikopa, a resident of Chirimba Township, said the location had no running water last week from Wednesday to Saturday.

She said: “We had to find other water sources such as boreholes and streams most of which are polluted. The water that we get from these sources is not fit for drinking and it is not everyone who can boil or treat it. The likelihood of contracting waterborne diseases is very high.”

The water problems have also been reported in Balaka, Ntcheu, Lilongwe, Kasungu, Mzuzu and Chikwawa, among other districts, where residents are struggling to get the commodity.

Lilongwe Water Board recently announced that it has started rationing water while in Kasungu Municipality, the Central Region Water Board said the water situation was worsening, a scenario that was also recorded in the 2018-2022 District Development Plan for Balaka.

For the capital city, Lilongwe, plans are underway to implement the Salima-Lilongwe Water Supply Project while works have started on the Likhubula Water Supply Project for Blantyre Water Board to source water from Mulanje to Blantyre City to deal with the perennial water challenges the city has been facing.

The Global Forest Watch reported that from 2001 to 2017, Malawi lost 149 hectares of tree cover.

Malawi’s current population is projected to be at 19.1 million, representing a growth rate of 2.91 percent, according to the World Population Review.

In 2018, Malawi recorded 30 cholera deaths. The cholera outbreak was blamed on drinking contaminated water.

The United Nations (UN) placed clean water and sanitation as its Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) number six, highlighting the importance of providing potable water to all people across the world.

Earlier this year, Northern Region Water Board (NRWB) attributed its failure to provide water to residents in areas under its jurisdiction to power shortages at its intake.

Weighing in on the issue, Water for People country director Kate Harawa said the country was facing a myriad of challenges pertaining to the water sector.

She mentioned global warming which she said was breeding drought and floods while on the other hand, she cited poor water and land management as triggers of the water problems the country is currently facing.

Said Harawa: “The problems that we are grappling with are multifaceted as highlighted. Land and water management cannot be separated. The problems have resulted in soil erosion causing siltation in our water resources. This has reduced available water and made water treatment expensive. This is because water catchment management has not been given the attention it deserves. Hence, our rivers and lakes are drying due to unavailability of land cover.”

While hailing the passing of the Water Resources Act, she appealed for the formulation of a Water Resources Authority which could be instrumental in coordinating of water usage bodies and management of the sector.

 

Previous Post

Police urge communities to invest in children

Next Post

Cops spared in Pioneer deal

Related Posts

savings | The Nation Online
Business News

Low savings rate, a loss to consumers

January 20, 2021
chakwera 20633 | The Nation Online
Political Index Feature

Inside Malawi’s new vision

January 20, 2021
Nankhumwa: Do more to cushion Malawians’ suffering
National News

Consider the poor on Covid-19 measures—Nankhumwa

January 20, 2021
Next Post
Chairs commission: Mkandawire

Cops spared in Pioneer deal

Trending Stories

  • Kenani: We cannot just watch the house burning

    Covid-19 initiative raises K18.3m in 2 days

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Fake injury claims soar

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Tonse faulted on former presidents’ benefits

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Doctors sound SOS on health workers

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Csec, Isama want clarity on schools’ closure

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

Opinions and Columns

My Thought

Don’t relax, Covid-19 still here

January 17, 2021
Political Uncensored

Maddening chaotic virus

January 17, 2021
Emily Mkamanga

Chakwera has to instill unity

January 17, 2021
People’s Tribunal

Perilous times and the need for accountability

January 17, 2021
  • Values
  • Our Philosophy
  • Editorial policy
  • Advertising Policy
  • Code of Conduct
  • Plagiarism disclaimer
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use

© 2021 Nation Publications Limited. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Life & Style
    • Every Woman
      • Soul
      • Family
    • Religion
    • Feature
  • Society
  • Opinion
  • Sports
  • Chichewa
  • Enation

© 2020 Nation Publications Limited. All Rights Reserved.

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.