Some Blantyre City residents will be required to be relocated to pave way for sewer line networks and associated facilities

* Consultant currently conducting an inventory of affected assets intended to set strategies to mitigate adverse resettlements impacts to safeguard livelihoods and to estimate the costs necessary for resettlement and compensation

* About 1.4 million residents of Blantyre City and its sorrounding ares are expected to benefit from improved a water and sanitation services

* 330,000 in with improved water services and 100,000 with improved sanitation for the rehabilitation and upgrade of sewerage network and treatment

* About 480,000 with improved solid waste management services from the construction of a new RPEL and collection.

By Duncan Mlanjira

Under the Malawi Water and Sanitation Project-1 (MwSP-1), which is being implemented by Blantyre Water Board (BWB), Blantyre City Council, the Ministries of Agriculture, Irrigation & and Water Development and Health & Sanitation, some residents will be required to be relocated to pave way for sewer line networks and associated facilities.

In a public statement, BWB and Blantyre City Council indicates that they have engaged GMT Consults Ltd to undertake consultancy services for the Resettlement Action Plan (RAP) for the priority sanitation investment of the city.

As part of the RAP process, GMT Consults Ltd is undertaking shareholder consultations, identifying project affected people, conducting an inventory of affected assets and conducting socio-economic surveys.

These are intended to set straggles to mitigate adverse resettlement impact, to safeguard livelihoods and to estimate the costs necessary for resettlement and compensation.

During this exercise, the GMT Consults Ltd officers are expected to visit all project affected households and institutions within the right-of way of the prioritised sewerline networks and associated facilities and thus asks for households’s cooperation and support in providing the necessary data, insight and feedback to facilitate the successful completion of the assignment.

According to the project’s fact sheet the MWSP-1 is aimed at increasing access to improved water and safely managed sanitation services which is being financed jointly by the the World Bank’s International Development of the Association (IDA) and the Malawi Government.

The BWB is responsible for project management, including planning, procurement, finance management, results monitoring & evaluation and safeguard while Blantyre City Council is supporting BWB to ensure smooth implementation of the sanitation component.

Through the MWSP-1, about 1.4 million residents of Blantyre City and its sorrounding ares are expected to benefit from improved a water and sanitation services — 330,000 in with improved water services; 100,000 with improved sanitation for the rehabilitation and upgrade of sewerage network and treatment and about 480,000 with improved solid waste management services from the construction of a new RPEL and collection.

The main objective of MWSP-1 — which is a 5-year project that started on June 6, 2013 and expected to be completed in March 2029 — is to increase access to improved water supply and sanitation services in Blantyre Metropolitan Area and to engage BWB’s operational and financial efficiency.

The project costs is US$148.5 million of which the IDA grant is US$145 million and US$3.5 million from the Malawi Government for the implementation of the resettlement action plan to cover the cost of compensation

The water supply improvement component will finance investments in water production, network stabilisation, leak reduction, renewable energy sources and water network expansion to unserved areas.

The proposed investments under the water supply improvement component will contribute to a reduction of water and energy derived from water loss reduction which will be used to increase water provision in Blantyre City’s unserved water-scarce areas and its surrounding peri-urban areas.

The earmarked sub-project components include:

* Rehabilitation and upgrading Mudi intake and water treatment plant to strengthen the resilience of water supply;

* Upgrading priority water supply transmission network from Chileka to Blantyre, construction of associated reservoirs and installation of solar power plants in Blantyre pumping stations;

* Upgrading distribution network including replacement of aged pipes to recover water leaks;

* Expansion of distribution network and construction network and construction of smarter water kiosks in selected zones;

* Technical assistance for engineering designs, supervision and safeguards implementation for BWB water infrastructure

* Public toilet facilities will be enhanced with accessibility features for persons with disability and menstrual hygiene management facilities and training to increase girls’ retention in schools and support female entrepreneurs in markets, and

* Technical assistance for engineering design and supervision of sanitation investments, sanitation tariff assessment and safeguards instruments.

The project will also finance a set of institutional development actives aimed at:

* Addressing identified climate change risks and enhancing BWB’s financial efficiency and governance systems through a performance-based grant;

* Improving Blantyre City Council’s capacity to manage sanitation to enhance climate adaptation, mitigation and sustainability of services; and

* Supporting the water sector investment planning and policy development to enhance the resilience and sustainability of water and sanitation services.

Blantyre City Council and the Ministry of Water & Sanitation has project support teams but all complaints related to the project will be handled by BWB’s project implementation unit.