Area 18 residents in Malawi’s capital, Lilongwe will drag Malawi Housing Corporation (MHC), Lilongwe Water Board (LWB) and Lilongwe City Council (LCC) to court for failing to compensate households that used contaminated water.
Confirming the development, one of the lawyers for the Area 18 residents Chancy Mwalubunju said the institutions failed to comply with the seven day ultimatum that expired on 22 August.
In the ultimatum, the residents demanded a K4 million compensation to each affected household.
“On behalf of the residents of Area 18 we requested a compensation for the inhuman and degrading water contamination situation which happened, actually they have not responded,” said Mwalubunju.
On July 18, some residents in Area 18 drank contaminated water after a sewage pipe broke and sewer slipped into a Lilongwe Water Board pipe that was supplying water to homes in the area.
Following the incident, President Peter Mutharika appointed a commission of inquiry to probe the saga.
But the residents have been demanding compensation from the responsible institutions over the saga arguing they have been traumatized because of the situation.
Reports reveal that residents in Area 18 now prefer purified water than tap water due to the incident.
