A government water board in Southern Malawi has blamed limited budgetary allocation as a reason leading to its poor service delivery that has seen residents going without portable water.

Regional water development officer Mr. Swithern Matamula made the claim on Tuesday when the minister of Irrigation and Water Development visited regional water offices and Blantyre Water board.

"We are receiving eight hundred thousand Malawi kwacha (about six thousands US dollars) every month, but we feel three million Malawi Kwacha (21 thousand US dollars) can assist to some extent. We do not have vehicles to visit all schemes in the region which is affecting our organization," Matamula said.

The water body has since warned of continued water shortage in the region.

Access to portable water remains a challenge in most parts of the country.

The regional water development officer said his office is failing to sustain boreholes, pipes and water schemes due to lack of spare parts and transportation.

According to Mr. Matamula the organization is understaffed and has one computer.

Blantyre water board Acting Chief executive officer Mr. Andrew Thawe mentioned illegal connections and excessive water looses as challenges failing the organization to meet the city's demand.

Blantyre City continues to experience water shortages but Mr. Thawe is banking his hopes on Per Urban Water Supply and Sanitation project the board is implementing to address the problem. The project is funded by European Union.

"Through the project we are replacing water pumps, drilling boreholes and also repairing water pipes in the city" said Thawe.

Minister of Irrigation and Water Development Mr. Richie Muheya asked the water officials in the region to refrain from corruption and be responsible with resources allocated to their organizations.