The World Bank’s Managing Director for Operations, Anna Bjerde, has applauded Lilongwe Water Board for the work that has been done under the Lilongwe Water and Sanitation Project (LWSP) which is being implemented with financing from the World Bank.
Bjerde made the remarks when she visited Nanjiri Water Kiosk which is one of fifty-six (56) water kiosks being constructed under the project to ensure residents in the peri-urban areas can access clean and safe water. She made the visit together with Victoria Kwakwa, Regional Vice President for Eastern and Southern Africa at the World Bank.
Taking her turn to address the community, Kwakwa also expressed her satisfaction with the project and commended the Board for taking the project to an area where people could not access clean water. She further said the happiness displayed by the community members gave her joy as it showed the impact that their work in the region has.
Minister of Water and Sanitation, Abida Sidik Mia, thanked the Bank for its continued support and committed that the government will always ensure these projects benefit the people of Malawi as their focus is on improving people’s livelihood. She also appealed to the community to safeguard the kiosks so that they are not vandalized.
Inkosi ya Makhosi M’mbelwa V, Board Chairperson for LWB, expressed his delight at the support that the Bank has given under the LWSP. He indicated that the project has advanced well and it has registered significant success. M’mbelwa V further appealed to the World Bank for additional support to ensure all areas under the Board’s water supply network are reticulated.
Under the Lilongwe Water and Sanitation Project, Lilongwe Water Board is constructing 56 kiosks and has also renovated 35 other kiosks. LWB has also rehabilitated 180 kilometers of priority water distribution network and transmission network and improved its reservoir storage capacity by an additional 8,800 cubic meters. The pipe network has also been extended by an additional 230 kilometers mostly to the peripheral areas of Lilongwe City where previously they had no access to potable water.
The project is designed at securing water supply for Lilongwe city and increase access to improved water services and safely managed sanitation services to the City’s growing population, and improve Lilongwe Water Board’s operational efficiency and capacity to plan future investments for Lilongwe’s water disposal and sanitation systems.
