The ideas are expected to help in improving both quality and quantity of water supply in order to meet the needs of water users surrounding Blantyre city.

The workshop brought together a lot of ideas from key stakeholders which include the representatives from the academia, the government officials and the cooperate world.

Redeemed as a part of project abbreviated as FRACTAL, (Future Resilience for African Cities and Lands), the event yielded a deeper understanding of challenges in water supply quality and distribution management in the wake of a changing environment.

Once seemed to be a mare function has yet defied all odds as the event tackled quite a number of topics affecting water quality and adequacy in the city which include; political interference, corruption, lack of funding and vandalism.

Speaking during the event, the guest of honour, an associate Professor Betchani Tcheleni, who is also a Dean of Commerce at The Polytechnic said people will soon consume the fruits of the event as the discussed ideas will take no time before put into use.

Tcheleni continued by commending the academia present on this day as the minds that matters in decision making so that the commercialisation of industries should take place.

“The commercialisation of research can only take place at the confluence of different ideas from researchers [academicians], policy makers and the industry as is the case today. This learning lab has given us an opportunity to digest solutions that will help to alleviate problems at hand,” Tcheleni explained.

Tcheleni further said the decision to settle are based on water not only availability of land.

“This workshop has not just been organised to showcase either our research or debating about it, but thinking what we can do to bring in quality water that can be used, “he cautioned. 

A representative from Blantyre Water Board, Dauson Nowina outlined some of the challenges that his company face in supplying water to its clients due to change in climate.

Among others, Nowina stated that there is an increase in cost of production in water treatment through chlorination due to upstream river banks activities likes of cultivation and deforestation.

Nowina further said silts accumulation has also affected on how their pumps could operate at their intake maintenance hence reducing pumps availability.

The BWB tried its lucky to overcome the challenges at hand by engaging communities in planting trees around their catchment area annually.

However, the event had also delegated staff from The Polytechnic, Blantyre City Council, BWB, Egenco, Harare —Zimbabwe, Water for People, Southern Region Water Board, Cape Town and many more.