Water and sanitation in urban Malawi: Can the Millennium Development Goals be met?

This paper assesses the quality and extent of provision for water and sanitation in urban areas in Malawi – where over 60% of the population lives in informal settlements. It also considers whether the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) for water and sanitation are likely to be met
in Malawi, and examines the current and potential role of community-led sanitation improvements. It includes recommendations for interventions needed by governmental, international and civil-society organizations to improve living conditions of communities to contribute to the realization of the MDGs.

Malawi is one of the world’s least urbanized nations, but it is rapidly urbanizing. Poverty in Malawi is manifest in, among other deprivations, poor access to water and sanitation. The government and international organizations have focused more on water supply than on sanitation. Various government agencies have responsibilities for different aspects of water and sanitation and all tend to work independently, as do various civil-society organizations working with international donors who set up and fund their own water and sanitation projects. The Water Department of the Ministry of Irrigation and Water Development is the lead institution in water and sanitation policy development, although it intends to withdraw from implementation to concentration on policy, regulation, monitoring and water-resource management.

For urban areas, water boards are important (Lilongwe and Blantyre each having their own water board) and these are responsible for water supply within their jurisdiction. According to the official Water Policy, they are also responsible for promoting sanitation and enforcing water works by-laws. Water boards are meant to work on behalf of local governments, although they come under the Ministry of Irrigation and Water Development regarding policy, and under the Ministry of Statutory Corporations regarding management direction. Local governments are responsible for sanitation and solid waste collection and management – but prior to the Water Policy, they had no mandate to supply water, although they did construct water kiosks. The
Water Policy makes local governments responsible for planning and coordinating water and sanitation programmes within their boundaries, including promoting the role of non-government organizations (NGOs). The local authorities come under the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development. The newly approved National Sanitation Policy places responsibility for sanitation under water boards. Thus, there is confusion regarding the relative roles and jurisdictions of local governments and water boards.

Within local governments, on-site sanitation falls under public health departments, while sewer systems fall under engineering. A draft Sanitation Policy has placed sewer systems under water boards. The Ministry of Health and ministries responsible for lands, physical planning and
housing also have roles and responsibilities within water and sanitation. However, government agencies are reluctant to provide basic services to informal settlements because they feel that this would encourage the development or growth of more informal settlements.