In a bold rebuttal to media reports, Elias Chimulambe, Principal Secretary for the Ministry of Water and Sanitation, has categorically dismissed concerns that the recent 10 percent hike in water tariffs will burden low-income earners. Chimulambe made these remarks following the Ministry’s 10 percent tariff adjustments, effective September 1, 2024, across all water boards in the country, including Blantyre, Lilongwe, Northern, Central, and Southern Region Water Boards.
The Ministry justifies this increase as a necessary measure to ensure cost recovery in the water production chain, revealing that they’ve been hemorrhaging over K23 billion annually due to unpaid bills by government entities and another staggering K30 billion from non-revenue water losses. Despite the significant tariff revision, Chimulambe assured that communal water points will remain untouched by these price changes, shielding the most vulnerable from any impact.
He said: “There is no tariff movement for the low-income earners such as those that get water from kiosks. So we have maintained the same tariffs.”
