The amount of water which the country is losing across all water boards, before it reaches consumers (Non-Revenue Water) has slightly increased from 35% last year, to 39% this year, officials have revealed.

The loss translates to MK60 billion total annual revenue that the country’s water boards are failing to realise.

Lilongwe Water Board (LWB) alone according to the institution’s Chief Executive Officer, Silli Mbewe loses MK15 billion Kwacha annually, a majority of this through leaked pipes, theft and illegal connections.

“We have two major causes, physical and commercial losses, we are losing more water from the physical loss and these are pipe breakages and vandalism,” said Mbewe.

Mbewe further revealed that, through the Strengthening the Capacity of Non-Revenue Water Reduction for Lilongwe Water Board project (LiSCap), LWB intends to strengthen institution and human capacity to sustain interventions towards abating the vice.

Image: Sili Mbewe

LWB on Wednesday held a 9th Joint Coordinating Committee (JCC) for the project which brought together officials from all the water boards to explore better ways of dealing with the problem.

Director for Water Supply Services at the ministry of Water and Sanitation, Prince Mleta asked the water boards to invest in water supply systems as he said this is key to achieving development.

“Issues of non-revenue water are very well connected with initiatives that Government is taking, because we are using so much resources to clean the water to make sure that we are suppling the customers. So we are in line with the policy of sustainable goal number six, but also the Malawi 2063 development agenda,” Mleta said.

Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is an implementing partner for the project and its Chief Representative, Kazuhiro Tambala is hoping that through the project, Malawi will see a reduction in non-revenue water.

Said Tambala; “We work together in the formulation of strategic plan to reduce non-revenue water, as well as actual ground to find ways of how to solve the problem.”

LiSCap was designed to enhance capacity for NRW reduction management for LWB an reduce improve the efficiency of water-use in the city of Lilongwe.