Water and Sanitation minister Abida Mia has assured Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (LUANAR) students that as an immediate short-term measure her ministry will provide two industrial boreholes to the campus in a bid to reduce the perennial water problems the higher learning institution faces.
Minister of Water and Sanitation, Abida Mia briefing officials from CRWB and LUANAR
Abida Mia, who is also Chikwawa Mkombezi Parliament, was accompanied by her deputy, John Bande made the assurance on Friday during the familiarization tour of Central Region Water Board (CRWB) facilities at Malingunde and LUANAR campus.
The firebrand politician who is dubbed the ‘Lowershire Giant,’ Mia said for many years, the campus has been running with minimal water making it difficult for most students to have access to water for all day.
“We are going to add another two more industrial boreholes to alleviate the interim problems currently being faced by students, she said.
CRWB Chief Executive Officer, Engineer John Makwenda
She said the Chakwera led-government is committed to make sure that there is countrywide coverage of water to all places across the country.
Mia further said that CRWB will be bringing in another two industrial boreholes next year but emphasised that this cannot be done overnight.
“We promise to bring more boreholes to ease out the problems and I want to say that this will take a little time to happen as there are some procedures to be followed, but meanwhile, something is being done and expect it soon.
The Water and Sanitation minister said Malingunde Dam 2 where the University is being supplied water from has the capacity of only 500 cubic metres, which is very little for the campus instead of 5000 cubic metres.
LUANAR Vice Principal Professor Emmanuel Kaunda
The time the dam was constructed, there were only a thousand students but now they are over 8000 students scrambling for the little water supplied.
CRWB Chief Executive Officer, John Makwenda admitted of having an old equipment at Malingunde Dam 2 which has affected the supply of water at the campus.
“We will soon improve supply from Malingunde Dam to the campus” he said.
Makwenda said there are plans to provide additional seven boreholes and construction of storage tanks.
Vice Principal at LUANAR, Professor Emmanuel Kaunda said the University want the new ministry to help in fulfilling their vision and goal.
According to him, they are implementing National Education Plan with a key pillar of increasing access of LUANAR, Bunda, Natural Resources College (NRC) and Open Distance Learning (ODL) totalling to 20,000 intake.
LUANAR President of Student Union, Tarcizio Kalawundi
“The challenge comes in when there is shortage of social amenities like water to supply such growing of students,” he said.
Water which is supplied at the campus is meant for less than 1000 students in those days. The volume of water pumped at Malingunde is too low to meet the current demand, he said.
Earlier, LUANAR Student Union President, Tarcizio Kalawundi appealed to the minister to consider the situation with the urgency it deserves.
“The current water system at the campus was designed to only carter for few students,” he said.
He said it was of a concern subject students to such a situation considering the aspirations of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Malawi 2063 agenda.
Kalawundi therefore thanked for the new additional industrial boreholes they are about to receive at the campus to increase water supply.
Industrial boreholes are are sophisticated and large boreholes that comes with two litres water per second and they supply to the tanks.
