Over 200 000 Residents of Mzuzu City are set to benefit from the Euro 24.5 million Malawi NRWB Water Efficiency project wh is set to be completed in December 2020.

The project implemented by the Northern Region Water Board and financed by the European Investment Bank (EIB) was conceived to sustain water supply in Mzuzu City and Ekwendeni Town as a stop gap measure while Government is sourcing funds for construction of the proposed Lambilambi Dam in Chikangawa Forest.

The aim of the project is to rehabilitate, upgrade and extend the existing Mzuzu and Ekwendeni Water Supply systems so that the communities of Mzuzu City and Ekwendeni town plus surrounding areas are provided with adequate potable water supply.

The projects specific components include implementation of water demand management measures to reduce non-revenue water from 36% to 20% (by the year 2022), rolling out of 15,000 prepaid water meters as a way of controlling wasteful usage of water, upgrading of Ekwendeni water treatment capacity from 700 000 litres per day to 6,000, 000 litres per day so that people of Ekwendeni are not supplied water from Mzuzu and upgrading and extension of water distribution system in Mzuzu and Ekwendeni including construction of storage tanks at Lusangazi, Mary Mount, Signal Hill

Chief Executive Officer for the NRWB Eng. Titus Mtegha explained in an interview that construction works are progressing very well.

“We should have all works for the first phase of priority works for Ekwendeni and Lusangazi completed by December 2020. This will ensure we have enough capacity to supply our customers in the city,” he said.

The project is also constructing two raw water intakes across Lunyangwa River in Mzuzu and Ekwendeni in order to store additional water and raise the Lunyangwa Dam to increase raw water storage for the dry months.

“Once we raise the dam by 1.5 metres, we will be able to store more water in the dam to take us a few more years as we wait to identify financing for the Lambilambi Dam,” Eng. Mtegha explained.

Once completed, the project will ensure improved water supply in the City as well as cover the city’s upcoming areas.