BWB charges K8 per 20liter bucket but Water Users Association demands K50 a bucket

* The decision to allow the kiosks to be privately managed was to empower the kiosk managers

* But at the same time to provide the services at reasonable charges since they were to supply water at very low charges

By Duncan Mlanjira

Blantyre Water Board (BWB) plans to reclaim water kiosk which it entrusted to be privately managed after taking serious note that while the Board charges K8 per 20liter bucket, Water Users Association (WUA) demands K50 a bucket from low income customers.

This comes at the backdrop that BWB has effected a water tariff increase of 40% in June to be done in two phases with one scheduled in October for middle to high income earning households but to cushion any economic impact for low income residential locations, BWB has decided to effect a zero increase.

Board chairperson, Joe Ching’ani — at a interface with media managers where in the company of fellow Board members, Chief Executive Officer, Robert Hanjahanja and members of his senior staff unpacked the turnaround strategy — said they “are very sensitive to the plight of the financially vulnerable customers”.

However, he took special concern that while they charge at K8, the WUAs benefit by 500% when selling at K50 a 20-liter bucket.

Ching’ani said the decision to allow the kiosks to be privately managed was to empower the kiosk managers but at the same time to provide the services at reasonable charges since they were to supply water at very low charges.

With this development, coupled with several other mismanagement on the part of WUA, BWB plans for gradual takeover the kiosks to offer cost effective services for the low income residential locations.

Meanwhile, BWB also takes cognizance that most prepaid meters are not functioning due to expiry of their batteries and management thus assures customers that they now have in stock new batteries for replacement.

Chief Executive Officer, Robert Hanjahanja said they have plans to procure high quality water prepaid meters, saying technology on the gadgets the world over is still being refined and plans are to replace 56,000 meters.

In its turnaround strategy, BWB plans to reduce energy consumption by implementing independent power production using solar, whose farm shall be constructed at its 12-hectare land at Nguludi pumping station.

This is because from the numerous production costs that water utility service provider incurs, the cost of power from Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (ESCOM) for pumping water from Walker’s Ferry ranks extremely high at K1.3 billion a month.

This is against the K1.9 billion that the Board generates as monthly revenue with the remainder used on other management and production costs as such imported chemicals; water testing in laboratories; replacement and new connections of pipes and accessories; wages &  salaries; transport and operations, among others.

Thus BWB will require reduction of energy consumption and effect annual cost-reflective tariffs and to sustain the gains it shall earn in the long run, BWB will have to implement the independent power production, upgrade its Mudi Dam treatment plant, exploit off-peak pumping regimes and to invest in bottled water.

Currently, BWB has three main generation sources of water at Walkers Ferry (80%), Nguludi (12%) and Mudi at 8% but currently not as reliable as before.

The high ESCOM cost is through the long distance Walkers Ferry because of gradient which is further assisted by Kameza booster pumping station in Chileka.

Nguludi’s source is gravity fed from Likhubula in Mulanje, which is straight from the river and the turn around strategy plans to construct a big reservoir dam at the source.

For this to be achieved, BWB needs to effect annual cost-reflective tariffs, which was implemented at an increase of 40% in June to be done in two phases with one scheduled in October — but that has not affected the kiosk low income customers.