Khato Civils, the South African firm awarded Malawi’s Lilongwe-Salima water project, is geared to execute the much-awaited project to tap water from Salima to Lilongwe with a reduced cost by about US $102 million.
The firm which was awarded the US $400 million Lilongwe-Salima water project has cut the cost to about US $298 million citing a new innovation in delivering the project.
Khato Civils chairperson Simi Phiri stated that the company had brought new equipment that could do the job in a shorter period, leading to the reduction of project cost. He did not reveal the details of the new equipment and the technology involved, however according to the company’s profile, the firm has over the past few years made significant investment towards building a strong equipment backbone.
The Lilongwe-Salima Water Supply Project has in the past failed to roll out as it has been marred by controversies for years. The civil and legal issues surrounding the project implementation have since been resolved. Work on the project is set to commence soon.
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Welani Chilenga, the chairman of Malawi’s Parliamentary Committee on Natural Resources confirmed the new project costs at a virtual meeting attended by Malawi’s Ministry of Finance, Department of Environmental Affairs and the Water Board of Lilongwe, as well as representatives from Khato Civils.
Overview of the Lilongwe-Salima Water Project
Khato Civils and South Zambezi Engineering Services, another South African engineering firm, will build a water intake in Lake Malawi. The intake will pump up to 50,000 cubic meters of raw water per day, through a 50-centimeter diameter pipeline to a new treatment plant situated about 2 kilometers away.
Three reservoirs, each with a capacity of 5,000 cubic meters, will hold the water before it is distributed to the populations of Lilongwe and surrounding localities through a combined distance of 111-kilometer pipeline.
The government of Malawi, through the Lilongwe Water Board (LWB) will finance the project. Lilongwe Water Board has already pumped in about US $17 million into the project.
