Lilongwe — Lilongwe Water Board (LWB) says lack of financial support is among the major factors delaying construction of Diamphwe Dam in Dedza, which is meant to help ease the water scarcity pressure in the city.

LWB public relations officer, Trevor Phoya told Malawi News Agency (Mana) on Monday that the project needs an approximate sum of US$ 160 million (approximately K54.4 billion) which the board does not have at the moment.

Phoya said after feasibility study confirmed the viability of the project and that the board is now in its second phase.

"The project is currently in the detailed design stage which will help determine the capacity of. But this phase alone requires about US$2 million (K 680 million)," Phoya said

The LWB publicist said the first two phases were financed by the Word Bank, but the board has no idea where to source funds for the completion of the project.

Once completed, the project will complement Kamuzu Dam located at Malingunde in Lilongwe.

The current dam is not enough to cater for the city's growing demand which currently uses 120 cubic meters of water per day.