Namibia/Rundu water system to be revamped to serve two regions in Namibia
In Namibia, China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) is launching the Rundu drinking water system modernization and extension project, six months after signing the execution contract with Namibia Water Corporation (NamWater). The Chinese company will be supported by a loan of 665 million Namibian dollars (36 million US dollars) from the African Development Bank (AfDB).
At a time when the Namibia Water Corporation (NamWater) drinking water system in Rundu is having difficulty meeting the needs of the population, the Namibian government is kicking off a project to modernize and extend this hydraulic system, which draws raw water from the Okavango River. The ceremony took place in the Namibian capital Windhoek, and was attended by officials from the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC), the company responsible for carrying out the work. The company was appointed following a call for tenders, the results of which were announced in January 2024.
By launching this project, the government of the southern African country aims to strengthen water security in the Kavango East and Kavango West regions until 2037.
Financing from the AfDB
CCECC will build a new raw water catchment and conveyance system, a new drinking water plant in Rundu, located in the capital of the Kavango East region in the southwest of the country, and a new water supply system in Kavango West.gion of East Kavango in northern Namibia, with a capacity of 1,800m3 per hour, as well as a reservoir for storage and a distribution network. Namibia's Minister of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform, Carl Schlettwein, states that, once modernized, the Rundu system will provide 36,000m3 of drinking water per day for local residents.
Launched on July1, 2024, the Chinese company will have 34 months to complete the work, i.e. until the first half of 2027. CCECC will draw on funding of N$665 million (US$36 million) granted by the African Development Bank (AfDB) to the Namibian government in July 2023, as part of the Namibia Water Sector Support Program. This ambitious program aims to facilitate the sustainable production and transfer of water resources in order to improve access to drinking, agricultural and industrial water. It will also improve sanitation services in rural areas, and build institutional capacity for sustainable water resource management in this arid climate country.
Source: www.afrik21.africa/
