* Water & Sanitation Minister Abida Mia impressed with progress made so far of the project
* Once completed, the project is expected to serve 100 million liters of water every day
* It is set to improve water supply to the people of Salima, Dowa and Lilongwe which is a huge milestone in solving water challenges
By Fostina Mkandawire, MANA
Chief Executive Officer for Salima-Lilongwe Water Project, Valentine Kaupa says all specialised machinery needed for the smooth execution is on site ahead of full commencement of construction set for November.
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“Specialised machinery designed specifically for the water project is being used,” said Kaupa when Minister of Water & Sanitation, Abida Mia when she toured construction contractor, Khato Civils water treatment plant in Lifuwu in Salima on Wednesday.
“This shows our commitment to the level of precision and innovation being employed to ensure efficient delivery of the work,” Kaupa said.
Mia expressed satisfaction with the progress made so far on the mega water project, which she said is set to improve water supply to the people of Salima, Dowa and Lilongwe — which is “a huge milestone in solving water challenges”.
Mia observed that the project has started on a high note and soon the public will witness significant progress while acknowledging some challenges faced, particularly supply chain disruptions that contributed to the delays over the years.
Mia pointed out that fast tracking of the project will ensure that beneficiaries should start enjoying the fruits of the project without further delays.
“We’re very excited to see that a lot of the equipment has arrived — mobilisation is almost complete,” she said. “Slight delays were encountered because most of the equipment had to be custom-made for this particular project. So we are good to go.”
Once completed, the project is expected to serve 100 million liters of water every day and Member of Parliament for Salima Central Constituency, Gerald Kapiseni Phiri said he is happy that the project has commenced, saying it has a huge economic impact on local communities.
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“The start of this project will bring various employment opportunities to the people, and I urge Khato Civils to prioritise hiring locals to ensure they are among the first to benefit from this development,” Phiri said.
The project is being implemented by Khato Civils and has been pegged at over K500 billion (US$315 million), of which 30% of the amount will be funded by Malawi government and 70% by private institutions.
Meanwhile, contractor Khato Civils posted on its Facebook platform that Lake Malawi Water Supply Project and other partners, NBS Bank and CDH Investment Bank, recently went on a due-diligence tour in Johannesburg and Free State to inspect production of some key equipment and supplies for the water project.
“Follow the money, as they say,” reports the contractor. “Among the manufacturers is ECEM who have assembled and built our modern high-tech concrete batching plant — the Karoo 50. It will be the first of its kind in Malawi.
Some of the equipment arriving at Mchinji Border
“The project shall use massive amounts of concrete and three plants of this type, which are mobile, will be on site in Malawi in a matter of weeks for enhanced and effective implementation of the project.
“All concrete for the project will be manufactured right on site to reduce the time of moving it on trucks, which comes with so many risks.
“The delegation also visited Africa Pipe Industries, manufacturer of the highly recommended carbon steel pipes which will be used in the 120km pipeline project from the lakeshore district of Salima to Lilongwe, the capital of Malawi.
“An order for pipes was confirmed and manufacturing is already underway according to specification. Like the batching plant, these pipes will be transported to Malawi by road.
“At this stage, the entire plant for the project has been mobilised including trucks, trailers, cranes and are ready for shipment to Malawi.”—Additional reporting by Duncan Mlanjira, Maravi Express
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