Blantyre Water Board (BWB) was established in 1929 and reconstituted under the Water Works Act No. 17 of 1995 and its mandate is to provide reliable and affordable water supply services to the population of Blantyre City and its surrounding areas covering a total area of over 81,500 hectares.

In order to efficiently execute its mandate, BWB initiated the Construction of a New Water Supply System from Likhubula River in Mulanje to Blantyre Water Supply Area as part of Public Sector Reforms that were launched by His Excellency President Professor Arthur Peter Mutharika in 2015 to improve service delivery.

The project coverage includes Mulanje, Chiradzulu, Blantyre and some parts of Thyolo and will provide additional 20,000 cubic meters of water per day to the BWB Water Supply System to end the water supply problems that the board has been experiencing in the past.

The project will also help in reducing the exorbitant electricity costs that the Board incurs, as the system will largely be operated under gravity.

Project Components

The New Water Supply System from Likhubula River in Mulanje to Blantyre Water Supply Area comprised the following components: A Water Intake; 350mm Dia MS Twin pipeline; 500mm DI-K9 Gravity Main; Supply Main to Malawi University of Science and Technology (MUST); a Treatment Plant; Staff Houses; a Pump House; Chemical Building; Pumping Main and a Storage Tank.

Currently, construction works for the Project are at 82 percent completion rate. Construction commenced in November 2017 and the completion date was set at 30 June, 2019.

Tree Planting Exercise

This exercise was initiated as one way of preserving the environment and mitigating the adverse effects of climate change. The trees are also key to the sustainability of the new water project hence a total of 137,000 trees were planted at Chambe Basin by the Board.

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Activities

The Board gave out pipes worth K5 million to communities in Mulanje, and is continuing to provide technical support in pipe design and installation to the Chambe Water Users Association. This is to ensure that there is sustainable supply of potable water to these communities.

Community Policing

In partnership with Mulanje Police, community policing structures were set up in various villages and a total of 210 community policing members were trained in order to protect the structures that have been constructed under the New Water Supply Project.

Looking at the New Water Supply System from Likhubula River in Mulanje to Blantyre Water Supply Area, Blantyre Water Board (BWB) has registered tremendous progress in implementing reforms aimed at improving service delivery in the Water Sector.