Speaking in Lilongwe after a parliament session, Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development Joseph Mwanamvekha said the decision made by the water boards came as a surprise to them hence the suspension.

“Some things were not followed when these water boards came with the tariff adjustments. We will work together with them and see how best we can go about the issue so that ordinary Malawians do not have to dig deep into their pockets to have water flowing in their pipes,” said Mwanamvekha.

He added that consultations are a must when it comes to such kind of increment and customers ought to be notified as to why the adjustments are being made.

“The Consumer Protection Act states that every consumer has to be notified before any tariff is raised. They have to know before any tariff is hiked and as government, we do urge all water boards to go back to their usual tariff that people were paying in the recent months,” Mwanamvekha said.