Lilongwe Water Board (LWB) has said the new water treatment plant, situated within its Water Works Campus along Likuni Road, will be commissioned on October 15 2015, as construction works are nearing completion.
However, before the commissioning, Lilongwe residents must brace for tough times as LWB will be shutting down one of its treatment water plants, Treatment Works (TW) II for about four days in the next one month to allow for the interconnection works.
The Board has two main Treatment Plants, TW I and TW II with a combined capacity of 95,000 cubic meters per day. It is currently upgrading TW II, through extension works.
LWB spokesperson Bright Sonani said the extension works will add 30 000 cubic metres to TW II, to bring the total capacity to 125 000 cubic metres.
According to Sonani, the project’s contractor intends to connect the new treatment plant to TW II from next week Monday, prompting shut down of TW II.
Said Sonani: “The plan is to shut down our Treatment Works II, which constitutes 63 percent of production, on a couple of times in the next one month for a maximum period of one day a week, to allow for the interconnection works.
“Twelve Hours is expected to be the maximum period for each shut down. Each shut down will commence at 06.00 in the morning to 18.00 in the evening and the first shut down is planned for Monday 28th September 2015.”
As a result, LWB has warned its customers that in some areas, particularly in the Northern and Central Zones, they will be experiencing intermittent water supply from Monday, September 28.
Places to be affected in the Northern Zone include Areas 25, 26, 27, 28, 29 including Kanengo Industrial Area, Mgona, Senti and Chimoka, Kamuzu International Airport, Lumbadzi, and Area 56 covering Mtandire, Mtsiriza and Piasani.
In the Central Zone, affected areas include Areas 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 31, 32, 33, 40, 46 (Chinsapo) and Area 47.
Meanwhile, LWB has advised its customers in the affected areas to store enough water for use during the shutdown and even beyond in case the work takes longer than anticipated.
The Board has also advised its customers to close their taps to avoid flooding their homes with water as normal supply will resume as soon as the work is completed.
