Construction work has been completed on the raw water pipeline that will boost quality water supply to about 1 million people in Liberia’s Capital, Monrovia, helping to address Liberia`s post-war perennial limited access to safe drinking water by close to 90% of the country`s population.
Run by the Liberia Water and Sewer Corporation (LWSC), the US$18 million pipeline will draw water from the dam of the Mt. Coffee Hydropower Plant to the White Plains Water Treatment Plant in Rural Montserrado and then to Monrovia.
The raw water pipeline uses gravity, instead of electric pump, to pull water into the treatment plant from the St. Paul River, saving LWSC approximately US$780,000 a year in electricity costs.
The US government agency, Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) under the United States Government Compact with Liberia financed the 48-inch diameter pipeline project while the Liberian government agency, Millennium Challenge Account-Liberia (MCA-L) implemented it.
The new pipeline, which replaces the original 36-inch pipeline, runs 5-km to the treatment plant, exposing steel and epoxy coating pipes along the route.
According to Jurgen De Moor, project engineer for Belgium-based contractor Denys, the buried pipes are made of ductile iron and contain cement lining inside and bituminous coating outside.
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“The coatings will help protect bacteria from penetrating the pipes and contaminating the water while also preventing corrosion of the pipes,” he said.
The previous location of LWSC’s intake pipe results in poor water quality and salty water during the dry season when the St. Paul River level is low.
Water from the Atlantic Ocean washes back into the river. Instead of retrieving water from downstream and closer to the ocean, the new pipeline will draw water from the reservoir upstream.
MCA-L hired contractors, DENYS and LWSC engineers completed final connection of the constructed 48-inch diameter raw water pipeline to the White Plains Water Treatment Plant last month.
The project is not just boosting quality water supply and cutting down on LWSC expenditure, it has impacted the economy of the local community, by creating employment to several people.
Abundant in rivers, rainforests, mangroves and swamps, Liberia is one of the wettest countries in the world. Yet, a large proportion of the population does not have access to clean drinking water – UNICEF Liberia.