BWB spending K3million daily on water treatment
The Blantyre Water Board (BWB) spending at least K90 million every month on water treatment processes.
BWB Board Chairperson Joe Chinga’ni made the disclosure during a recent tree planting exercise at their water catchment Area at Makhetha in the district.
According to Ching’ani, in situations where they have harvested discolored water and heavily silted water, they are forced to spend more on treatment.
“If the environment, which include trees, is preserved, the deformities of water that warrant treatment will be reduced, thereby also reducing the cost of treating that water.
There are times that the water we take from the sources is very dirty, dirty with silt, mud, discolored for us to make it clean we use chemicals. Depending on the degree of the dirt, we use three drums full of chemicals but there are times that the water is very bad in as far as siltation and mud are concerned.” He explained.
He further emphasized on the need to enhance management of catchment areas so to reduce the cost of water treatment.
“We may use probably 7 to 9 drums now, one drum costs close to 900 dollars we are talking over a million of money going toward treatment of water. Now if we use more drums because the water is very dirty, it means we are spending more in treating that quantity of water which we are selling at the same price that we are selling at the same price that we are sell if we treat with less chemicals,” he adds.
The board has since planted 5 000 trees at its catchment area to restore water for Mudi dam and under the theme Restore Degraded Landscapes for Livelihood Security.
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