President Peter Mutharika of Malawi expounds the paradoxes of Malawi’s water situation and outlines the country’s opportunities for water management and development.
Malawi is a magnificent land. It is the land of opportunities of Africa – and water management and development is part of that story. Known as ‘the warm heart of Africa’, you can easily find it on the globe, with its lakes and rivers converging along the Great African Rift Valley. This country announces its presence even more assertively with the beautiful mountains on the edge of the Rift Valley. The springs of the many rivers are in these mountains.
The warm and friendly people make Malawi the land of smiles too. But Malawians live the paradox of abundance and want at the same time. There is plenty of water, and yet this is a country where many of the people cannot find water that’s safe to drink. One-third of Malawi is covered with water. The opportunities and wealth of the land are endless, and yet its people are defined among the poorest on earth.
A wide range of challenges
The lakes and rivers can revive our rain-fed agriculture, and yet there are years when drought and hunger haunt us. With proper water management and development, Malawi can make potable water available to all, end the story of hunger, improve the lives of many smallholder farmers and reduce poverty significantly…
*Statistics within article correct at original publication date of CHOGM 2015 Report.
Peter Mutharika
President of Malawi
