The grant from an International Development Association (IDA) project to improve water supply and sanitation services and enhance the operational and financial efficiency of the Blantyre Water Board.

Nearly half a million people in the city are expected to benefit.

According to a statement by the World Bank, Blantyre’s water supply system is facing some challenges that are expected to worsen with increasing climate change impacts, such as the recent Tropical Cyclone Freddy.

The World Bank further says the water utility body faces major operational and financial challenges which affect the reliable supply of water in the district.

Poor sanitation has been singled out as a major public health issue, as when the city experiences flooding, uncollected solid waste ends up in sewers, drainage systems and water bodies hence increasing the risk of waterborne diseases.

In order to address these challenges, the project is designed to fix the immediate and medium-term water security and sanitation needs and support a long-term solution through construction of new water sources, independent power sources for water supply infrastructure, network upgrades and improvement in efficiency, sewerage system upgrades, and solid waste management improvements.

Recently, the National Water Resources Authority said it was engaging all water utility bodies in the country to ensure that they improve their sewerage networks, saying this will help improve the status of sanitation in the country.