The construction of Kafubu water project in Zambia has begun. The US$450 million project, being undertaken by China Complete Engineering Cooperation, is set to reduce non-revenue water from the current 50 percent to less than 20 percent upon completion.
Non-revenue water is water pumped but not billed as a result of leakages and transmission losses.
According to Bernard Phiri, The Director of Engineering at Kafubu Water and Sewerage Company, the 120 million cubic meters dam will improve the supply of water in neighboring areas.
“268 houses have so far been constructed, with 30 of the affected families relocated. This will be facilitated by US $1.5m that has since been set aside for resettlement compensation,” he said.
Also Read: Namibia’s Neckartal dam ready to harvest water
He further added that equipment like pipes are being imported from China and will be installed from the copper belt regions of Masaiti to Ndola, covering a distance of approximately 45 kilometers.
Mr. Phiri also divulged plans to put up an overhead reservoir tank at Kafulafuta. This will pump water from the dam to enable constant water supply. He also added that the water utility has noticed cases of vandalism with regards to the pipes, leading to unnecessary leakages.
As such, he warned the members of the public against indulging in illegal connections of sewer system. This, he said, is with a view to avoiding both water and environment pollution.
Presently, non-revenue water and competitive water tariffs are one of the biggest challenges facing the water and sewerage utilities in Zambia. This is in their bid to improve profitability and revenue generation power. Social and political consideration is also acting as a hindrance since the cutting supply to high density residential areas is more or less a health and political matter.
