By Suleman Chitera
Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development, Roza Mbilizi, has ordered the Blantyre Water Board (BWB) to suspend plans to increase water tariffs, insisting the utility must first address inefficiencies and financial mismanagement before passing costs on to consumers.
Mbilizi issued the directive on Monday during a visit to BWB offices, where she criticized the board for what she described as a lack of accountability to its customers. She argued that BWB was unfairly shifting the burden of its internal failures onto residents.
“We should not look for the easy way out by transferring this huge responsibility onto customers,” Mbilizi said. “There are other areas that can generate revenue, such as reducing non-revenue water, which currently stands at 44 percent, and collecting the K23 billion owed to the board. Only after addressing these issues can we discuss increasing prices for customers.”
The Minister warned BWB management that failure to improve performance would have consequences, stressing that their core mandate is to provide reliable and safe water to the public.
“Why do you want it to be normal for residents to face frequent water supply disruptions? Why do you play with people’s lives?” she asked. Mbilizi further described it as “embarrassing” that Malawi continues to experience cholera outbreaks linked to poor water management.
She also questioned the board’s expenditure patterns, noting that BWB has reportedly been operating at a loss for more than five years without resolving fundamental operational challenges.
Responding to the concerns, George Eneya, speaking on behalf of the BWB board, acknowledged the Minister’s criticisms and said the newly constituted board has already directed management to improve performance.
“The Minister is right. It is unheard of to lose 44 percent of what is generated,” Eneya said. “We have given management a six-month target to reduce water losses, improve debt collection and enhance service delivery. We are also working towards ending frequent water supply disruptions in Blantyre.”
The Minister’s intervention comes amid growing public frustration over erratic water supply and proposed tariff increases, with consumers demanding better service delivery before any price adjustments are considered.
