Zambia’s President Edgar Lungu has launched the US $449m Kafulafuta water supply project which is expected to provide water to 1million people in the country more so in Copperbelt province.
Speaking at the launch, Minister for water development, sanitation and environmental protection, Dennis Wanchinga said the million dollar project involves construction of of a dam and other infrastructures that will wholesomely supply clean and safe drinking water to Copperbelt residents.
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Kafulafuta water supply project
Kafulafuta dam will hold 123 million m3. It will be capable of generating 300,000 m3 of water every day. He further said that the two stations will pump the water and transport it by network of pumps to four treatment stations.
The president also pointed out that the water project will be financed through a loan from China and will be carried out by the China National Complete Engineering Corporation.The Corporation will also build pipelines to areas not served by drinking water distribution network and repair old pipes.
Sustainable Development Goals
It is estimated that 600,000 jobs will be created during the whole construction period. 6000 of those jobs will be created during the construction phase.Upon completion, Zambia residents will benefit in improved health outcome and increased business opportunities for local suppliers.
“The government’s commitment to provide universal access to safe drinking water for all by 2030, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). As a reminder, in 2015, only 61% of Zambians had access to safe drinking water.The construction and operation of these projects will help Zambia meet the challenge of inadequate public facilities,” said Li Jie, Chinese ambassador.
