There are high hopes of Malawi addressing water challenges in some drought-prone districts through the Malawi Resilience and Disaster Risk Management Project-MRDRMP currently under implementation.
This was disclosed during a recent interface meeting between project implementors and the media in Blantyre to update them on the progress made so far.
Speaking to MIJ Online, Sydney Kantukule-Technical Team Member for the MRDRMP project-said the project was implemented at the backdrop of serious drought the nation experienced in 2015/16 which affected 12 districts.
Kantukule said currently authorities have conducted consultancy services for the development of high-resolution integrated risk Management plan for shire river basin as well as consultancy services for the design and supervision of installation of 14 new hydrological monitoring stations and rehabilitation of 25 hydro-stations that will assist in efficient early detection of possible flooding.
Meanwhile John Chingawale-Principle Water Engineer in the Ministry of Water and Sanitation-told MIJ Online that government is rehabilitating critical water supply infrastructures such as the Mpira-Balaka water supply system which supplies water to districts including Ntcheu, Balaka and Machinga.
“Through the project, government plans to install six high yielding boreholes that would pump water up to 65 liters per second in areas within the Mpira-Balaka water supply catchment to support the water reservoir that has over time been affected by droughts”said Chingawale
According to Chingawale, the infranstructure will carter to about 80, 000 people with portable water from the districts of Balaka, Ntcheu, Mangochi as well as Neno.
He has since expressed optimism of the project meeting its set target by 2023 despite delays that had been experienced due to adverse weather conditions like the Cyclone ANA.