Africa-Press – Botswana. The Kasane water treatment plant project is expected to be completed end of this month with works currently standing at 90 per cent.
The project scope encompasses extraction of four million litres a day from Chobe River, a filter building, 32 million litres capacity clear-water tank, a laboratory and chlorine station.
The water scheme will benefit Kasane, Lesoma, Kazungula and all villages in Chobe enclave up to Parakarungu.
Touring the project on Friday, the Minister of Lands and Water Affairs, Dr Kefentse Mzwinila expressed satisfaction over the progress of the project.
He said in the past there were delays caused by unavailability of some material.
He however indicated that it was satisfying to see that all equipment and material had been procured and installed accordingly.
Dr Mzwinila commended the contractor, ZHONG GAN for accelerating their operations following the last project tour late last year, where work seemed to be stalling.
He said his ministry used funds allocated to them adequately by carrying out projects countrywide,
“We are currently undertaking more than hundred projects but I can inform you that only one is not doing well.”
He said with the evolution and technology advancement, developments were technical, requiring automated systems that incorporated digitisation, hence it was essential that contractors carried them out with precision.
Dr Mzwinila said project tours were imperative in that they helped them monitor and appreciate progress, and for government to give instructions on how projects should be carried out.
Water Utilities Cooperation (WUC) CEO, Mr Gaselemogwe Senai said they were impressed with the progress of the project.
However, he said there were minimal delays that resulted from replacement of PVC pipelines with steel ones, which carried water from extraction point to the treatment plant.
Mr Senai said it was projected that the contractor would finalise systems installations next month and test the plant, followed by commissioning of the plant early July.
He pointed out that all villages in Chobe would start to benefit from the water plant in June.
The ZHONG GAN contractor, Mr Towheed Chowdhury said the building works would be completed by end this month followed by electrical, mechanical telemetry in June.
He said they encountered challenges with the clear water reservoir as the joints were not synchronised, which resulted in them importing a special one form South Africa.
Mr Chowdhury highlighted that all building materials were sourced in Botswana except for mechanical equipment, which were imported due to unavailability locally.
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