Eng. Sangwani Mathews Mfune

Professional Summary

Malawian Principal Irrigation Engineer and emerging regional water-engineering leader with more than five years of experience delivering irrigation, water resources, drainage, flood-management, sanitation and climate-resilient infrastructure projects. At L. Gravam Consulting Services Ltd., he leads engineering design review, irrigation development, construction supervision, contract administration, quality control, tender preparation and the training of technical officers and farmers. His work combines rigorous engineering analysis with practical implementation in communities and major agricultural development programmes.

Key Expertise

Major Projects and Contributions

• Principal Irrigation Engineer – L. Gravam Consulting Services Ltd.
  Leads engineering design review, irrigation-scheme implementation, construction supervision, rehabilitation and development projects. His responsibilities include contract management, quality control, tender-document preparation, contractor-certificate review, progress monitoring, client reporting and the training of technical officers and farmers.
• Bwanje Valley Extension and Lembani Irrigation Schemes – Malawi Food Systems Resilience Project
  Contributed to the review and updating of feasibility studies and engineering designs for the 1,400-hectare Bwanje Valley Extension and the 800-hectare Lembani Irrigation Scheme. His work included water-resources assessment, hydrological and hydraulic review, flood-flow analysis, irrigation and drainage infrastructure evaluation, construction drawings, cost estimates and tender documentation for a World Bank-financed programme.
• Engineering Design of 5,332 Hectares of Irrigation Blocks – Shire Valley Transformation Programme
  Supported the selection and engineering design of irrigation systems covering approximately 5,332 hectares under the Shire Valley Transformation Programme. His work included pressurized and surface-irrigation alternatives, center pivots, sprinkler and furrow systems, booster-pump stations, regulation reservoirs, pipelines, hydraulic structures, drainage systems, land-use plans, crop-water requirements and engineering cost estimates.
• Climate-Resilient Design of Kalembo and Lisanjala Irrigation Schemes
  Participated in feasibility assessment, preliminary engineering design, detailed climate-resilient design and construction-supervision preparation for medium-sized irrigation schemes. He conducted water-quality assessments and detailed soil analyses covering soil texture, infiltration, water-holding capacity, hydraulic conductivity, electrical conductivity, pH, salinity and total dissolved solids.
• Design and Construction Supervision of Eight MWASIP Irrigation Schemes
  Contributed to the detailed design and construction supervision of approximately 347 hectares of irrigation infrastructure under the Malawi Watershed Services Improvement Project. The schemes included Upilewetu, Bilira, Mango, Mpoya, Mdere, Chitseke, Fufule, Thava and Tsenjerani, with weirs, pipelines, canals, drainage works, hydraulic structures and associated scheme infrastructure.
• Assistant Resident Engineer – Irrigation Construction and Quality Assurance
  Served as Assistant Resident Engineer, verifying contractor setting-out, checking excavation levels and construction materials, approving concrete and masonry test results, inspecting pipelines and reinforcement, reviewing contractor work plans and payment certificates, preparing variation orders, redesigning structures to suit field conditions and supervising correction of construction defects.
• Rehabilitation of Lufilya, Nambuna, Masenjere and Muona Irrigation Schemes
  Undertook technical assessments, topographic surveys, water-availability analysis, hydrological modelling and rehabilitation design for major irrigation schemes, including the 400-hectare Lufilya scheme, 400-hectare Nambuna scheme, 125-hectare Masenjere scheme and 400-hectare Muona scheme. The work supported recovery and resilience following infrastructure damage, including impacts associated with Cyclone Freddy.
• Urban Drainage and Flood Management – Blantyre City
  Contributed to the detailed design of drainage systems in Blantyre City under the Malawi Resilience and Disaster Risk Management Project. His responsibilities included catchment characterization using HEC-HMS and QGIS, flood estimation, drainage design and preparation of quality-assurance documentation.
• Nchalo and Mwananjobvu Irrigation Rehabilitation and Expansion
  Supported engineering surveys and designs for rehabilitation of approximately 250 hectares at Nchalo and 1,000 hectares at Mwananjobvu, while considering future expansion of about 3,000 hectares at Nkhwazi and 10,000 hectares at Mwananjobvu. His work included pump sizing, canal and pipeline design, EPANET hydraulic analysis, headworks, profiles, drawings, bills of quantities and contractor supervision.
• Water Supply, School Sanitation and Public-Health Infrastructure
  Prepared engineering designs for modern sanitation facilities at primary schools in Kasungu District and contributed to construction supervision of sanitation facilities under the Lilongwe Water and Sanitation Project. The work included accessible ventilated improved pit latrines, urinals, drainage, soak pits, hand-washing systems, technical drawings, bills of quantities, site inspection and construction-quality control.
• Research in Digital Hydrology, Climate Change and Smart Water Monitoring
  Conducts research on the suitability of GEOGloWS global streamflow simulations for flood-frequency analysis and hydraulic-structure design in Malawi. He contributed to a peer-reviewed study on projected drought prevalence in the Lufilya Catchment and to the design, fabrication and performance evaluation of an Arduino-based ultrasonic water-level indicator.
• Training, Knowledge Transfer and Capacity Building
  Supports professional development by training engineers, government officers, farmers and project stakeholders in irrigation implementation, engineering design, water management, technical reporting and infrastructure supervision. His professional vision is to strengthen climate-resilient water and irrigation engineering across Malawi and Sub-Saharan Africa.