Saturday, September 12, 2009

Water supply in E/Province improves

Water supply in E/Province improves
Written by Christopher Miti in Chipata
Saturday, September 12, 2009 2:06:23 AM

EASTERN Water and Sewerage Company (EWSC) has said water supply in the province has started improving although the company is still facing a number of challenges.
And EWSC has said it will use the 6.3 million euros funding to improve water situation in the province.

EWSC public relations manager Mike Daka said most houses that had no water had been connected in most parts of the province.

“The water situation in the province is starting to improve although it’s a very big challenge. Chadiza so far has improved, most of the houses which were not receiving water have started, we are yet to improve again. Right now we have engaged water affairs to clean up the boreholes in Chama. I think that exercise will take about five to six days, then that will actually improve on the water situation,” Daka said.

He said EWSC was also cleaning up the water system in Katete district to ensure that water provision improved.

Daka further said the water situation in Mambwe district was good but that EWSC would now embark on the expansion of the water network systems.

And Daka said the 6.3 million euros that the government had mobilised through financial corporation with the Federal Republic of Germany would be used to improve the water networks.

“..We will be doing it in phases, the funding has come for phase one for four districts which is Chama, Lundazi, Petauke and Mambwe. The actual funding has not yet been made. We are yet to receive the funding either this month or beginning of next month but we are at tendering stage. So far, we have even got consultants who have come from Germany,” he said.

Daka also said the water company still faced problems because some customers, including government departments, were not settling bills as expected.

Recently, EWSC revealed that government institutions owed the company K2.6 billion in unpaid water bills.

According to the EWSC report to the Provincial Development Coordinating Committee meeting held at Luangwa House recently, as at July 30, 2009, the outstanding amount due was K2, 629,297,461.95.

The report indicated that some institutions had not paid water bills from as far back as August 2004, citing lack of funds and poor service delivery by the company.

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Thursday, June 04, 2009

Power outages force EWSC to start rationing water

Power outages force EWSC to start rationing water
Written by Christopher Miti in Chipata
Thursday, June 04, 2009 11:32:36 PM

THE Eastern Water and Sewerage Company (EWSC) has said it will start rationing water in light of the persistent water shortages that have been caused by frequent power outages.

And Eastern Province has been badly affected by the prolonged load shedding being effected by Zesco Limited owing to reduced generation capacity at Kafue Gorge due to a blockage of water intakes at the power station by the Kafue weed.

EWSC public relations manager Mike Daka said the company used its two pumps to pump water whenever there was power to try and address the water problem.

Daka said there were some areas in Chipata that were not receiving water even when others on the lower places had the commodity.

He said the company had made an arrangement with Chipata Municipal Council and was also looking to other stakeholders that could help in distributing the water in areas that did not receive the commodity even when there was electricity.

“There are some upper places like Kalongwezi, Chimwemwe, Kanjala and Chipata Motel areas where people are not having supply even if power comes because they only have water when levels in our tank are high so when it’s just the minimum water levels that we have, the upper places because of their location, they can’t have supply so we will try to see how we can regulate our valve and see whether we can direct to those upper places that are not receiving anything at all,” said Daka.

Many Chipata residents wake up in the early hours to fetch water in distant places.

And almost all the districts in the province have been affected by the power outages.

The districts that are badly hit include Chipata, Katete, Petauke, Nyimba, Chadiza and Mambwe.

Former Nyimba district council chairman George Phiri said it was sad that Zesco did not inform people in advance about the power outages.

“We rarely have power in Nyimba, sometimes we can have power around 03 hours but it goes after an hour or so. As I’m talking to you now there is no power here,” said Phiri.

Lundazi and Chama are the only districts that have reliable power supply because they are fed by Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (ESCOM).

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