adminBlessings Chidakwa in Kadoma
CHEGUTU Municipality has started replacing the town’s outdated sewer lines in phases, as part of measures to curb perennial sewerage bursts that were blamed for intermittent water-borne disease outbreaks.
The local authority, which pumps an average of eight mega-litres a day, is also targeting to boost output by about 30 percent through the installation of three new booster pumps at the water treatment plant.
Council has also applauded Government for prioritising its water and sewer network rehabilitation programmes after it reportedly availed $3,5 million from the Public Sector Investment Programme and $1,6 million from the funds it received under devolution.
Speaking during a media tour of the projects recently, Chegutu Municipality water and sewer technician Engineer Raphael Kundi said in the long run, all the sewer lines would be replaced.
“On sewer lines, our people are currently on the ground digging up old pipes awaiting replacement,” he said. “We are targeting to start replacing more than 200 metres in Pfupajena line P1100 that feeds into P1400 main line which has been experiencing many bursts for quite some time now.”
Council workers have already dug up trenches which await pipes replacement and at the water treatment plant, Pumps Systems Africa workers are also installing three booster pumps.
Two of the booster pumps will be installed to increase water supplies while the third would be on standby.
The three pumps, according to Eng Kundi, cost approximately $170 000, including panels, amid reports that the old ones had outlived their lifespan and were performing way below their capacity.
“At the moment we are pumping between eight to nine megalitres out of the 12 mega-litre capacity, the reasons being the age of our obsolete pumps which were commissioned in the early 1960s,” he said.
“We have three major projects underway in line with water reticulation rehabilitation, among them upgrading of the three pumps at water treatment plant and replacement of main flow pipes feeding to community from 250mm to 400mm.”
Eng Kundi said pumping would now be continuous throughout the day once the works, which are 75 percent complete, were done.
Online Reporter