2005 - 2006 - Pinsent Masons Water Yearbook 2012

MALAWI PART 2: COUNTRY ANALYSIS
Malawi
Access to clean water improved from 48% in 1994 to 56% in 1999, and 62% in 2004, although
WaterAid believes that improved water services only reach 43% of the population. 2004. Improved
sanitation coverage is estimated at 77%, 9% of the population connected to sewerage systems in
2004. Under a national water supply programme, some 3,000 boreholes have been drilled. A 1998
survey showed that 23,000 boreholes would need to be drilled to cover 100% of the population at a
cost of MK360 million (€8.4 million).
Water and sanitation coverage
2004 Urban Rural National
Water supply 85% 58% 62%
Sanitation 90% 30% 64%
Attempts to commercialise its water utility have been hampered by the debt burden the company
carries, along with outstanding client accounts and weak debt collection systems. The Water Supply
Authority is one of the 100 state enterprises that Malawi has identified for privatisation. Malawi's fouryear
old privatisation programme is being carried out under the terms of the World Bank and the
International Monetary Fund (IMF). An official admitted that there was some resistance to the
privatisation of the water utility because of fears of price rises and job losses. To compensate for the
latter, the Government has set up "training projects for retrenched workers".
The World Bank’s Public-Private Infrastructure Advisory Facility funded a study on options for private
involvement in the water sector in 2000 and recommended that lease contracts should be considered.
In April 2004, Malawi launched a strategic water plan for 2003/04, focusing on technical operations
and information management, policy planning and drawing up a legal framework. In December 2004,
it was announced that Malawi would be allocated US $336.2 million to finance water projects under
the African, Caribbean and Pacific Countries-European Union (ACP-EU) Water Facility.
139 Pinsent Masons Water Yearbook 2005 – 2006