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George Maponga in Masvingo
Masvingo City Council is close to inking multi-million dollar deals with French and South African investors to finance a massive water augmentation project that will chew around US$70 million and is billed to completely end recurrent water challenges that have been blighting the ancient city’s march towards becoming an industrialised metropolitan city by 2030.
The country’s oldest town currently has to make do with a daily water output of 30 megalitres which is below the required 48 megalitres every day and the planned water upgrade project is expected to ramp up daily output to more than 60 megalitres.
The current water supply capacity means residents in the ancient city are only getting two-thirds of daily water requirements but after the implementation of the water upgrade the city will get uninterrupted supplies 24 hours daily and seven days a week.
Council was initially pinning hopes of a financial breakthrough on Chinese Eximbank but Town Clerk Engineer Edward Mukaratirwa appears to suggest the deal fell through.
”We are now in advanced talks with French and South African financiers for an agreement where the investors will pour money into our long-awaited water augmentation project so that within the next three years the city will have uninterrupted water supply every day of the week. We hope to strike an agreement soon paving the way to officially sign the deal,” said Engineer Mukaratirwa.
The water augmentation deal entails duplicating Masvingo’s current water pumping, purification, conveyancing and storage capacity to satiate the needs of the city’s growing population now estimated at over 120 000 residents.
Online Reporter
Bongani Ndlovu