Malawi President Dr Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera on Tuesday commissioned the Malingunde Dam 1 with strong message that his Government is committed to achieve sustainable Development goal number 6 on access to water.
For the starters United Nations in 2017 set various development goals and one of the 17 goals is the access to water.
“Ensure availability and sustainable management of
water and sanitation for all by 2030,” he said.
Speaking during the commission, Chakwera said his Government will ensure availability and sustainable management of
water and sanitation for all by 2030.
In our determined pursuit of this goal, it is befitting that on this historic day, we have gathered here to commission the Raised
and Rehabilitated Kamuzu Dam 1
I must therefore commend the Minister of Water and Sanitation,
Honourable Abida Mia, MP, her technical officials, and
the Lilongwe Water Board, for the tireless effort they have put in to achieve this milestone,” he said.
The Malawi leader thanked partners, especially the European Investment Bank (EIB), for availing the generous resources that have made the rehabilitation and raising of this Dam possible.
The Malawi leader also commended World Bank for supporting the Lilongwe Water Board with financing the Lilongwe Water and Sanitation Project, under which the Malingunde Water Supply System is being implemented.
“These are the kind of partners, we must celebrate because they have fully embraced our vision of putting investments into projects that make our communities self-reliant, not throwing money into programs that create perpetual dependency,” he said.
Located on Lilongwe River, 20 kilometres southwest of Lilongwe City, Kamuzu Dam I was constructed way back in 1966.
The raising and rehabilitation of Kamuzu Dam provides a combined catchment area of 1,870 km2 (square kilometers).
It is estimated that the 5-metre raising of the Dam would significantly help address the rising ever-skyrocketing demand for potable water in Lilongwe City and surrounding areas.
Available statistics indicate that the modernised facility has a new capacity of 25 million cubic metres from a paltry 5 million cubic metres previously.
In addition, the raised and rehabilitated facility is expected to produce 175,000 cubic metres per day, an increase from 125,000 cubic metres per day.