Karonga water project transforms lives, boosts business

Small and medium players are all over the moon following the implementation of the Karonga water supply project championed by the Northern Region Water Board (NRWB).

Businesses are describing the project as transformative since they no longer spend most of their time seeking medical help due to frequent water-borne diseases that have befriended them.

Martha Banda of Mwanjawala village sells fritters in the city and she has a testimony.

“We were friends to diseases such as cholera and diarrhea due to unhygienic water sources that we were relying on. We were spending most of our time in hospitals and our children were the most affected. I am now happy to report that the situation has changed due to this project. I am happy,” testified a visibly happy Banda.

Concurring with Banda, Michael Muyande who is a kabaza operator around the boma said the water project has greatly improved its relationship with their customers due to hygiene since they are able to bath.

“Most of our customers used to complain that we were producing bad smell that was usually coming due to lack of water for us to take a bath. But now you can notice that I am presentable and attractive to customers who I ferry to various places.

“Bathing itself was not interesting because we used untreated water from the lake where a lot of dirty is done, Muyande said.”

From Muyande, we proceeded to Andrew Mwakasongo, who runs a car washing firm.

Asked as to what significance has the water project brought to his business, he said: “I am able to wash not less than ten vehicles at an average price of K3,000 per car everyday. This means on average I have K30,000 per single day because the water is just so near.

In the past, this work was very tiresome because it needed me to go and draw water far from my business place, Mwakosongo revealed.

Meanwhile, NRWB projects coordinator Edward Chirambo has disclosed that they have managed to increase their customer base since commissioning the project.

“Initially we were supplying water to about 50,000 customers but now we are talking about over 60,000 households.

“We are currently working on connecting to an additional 13,000 customers who have applied for new connections” Chirambo revealed.

Chirambo further disclosed that they have expanded their network to other customers outside the BOMA and close to Chitipa.

“We have reached more than 40 kilometers to the southern part of Karonga boma to places like Uliwa and 30 kilometers to the north of the district,” he added.

He therefore revealed that they intend to hit the customer base of more than 150,000 by the 2040.

Karonga is one of the fastest growing districts due to numerous economic activities including cross border trade between Malawi and Tanzania.

The water project in the district is one of the flagship programmes implemented by the Lazarus Chakwera led administration with an aim of supplying safe, clean and potable water to the country’s rural communities in line with Sustainable Development Goal number 6 which focuses on water and sanitation.

Other projects include the new Nkhata Bay water supply project in the in the same region and Nkhudzi Bay water supply project by the Southern Region Water Board SRWB in Mangochi.

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