Zim gets $4,12m sewer, water sanitation equipment

Harare Bureau
The African Development Bank last week gave the government sewer and water sanitation equipment worth $4,12 million under the Zimbabwe Multi-Donor Trust Funds (Zimfund). The equipment was handed over by AfDB resident representative Mateus Magala to Finance and Economic Development Minister Patrick Chinamasa.

Magala said the equipment was bought after the realisation that the country requires a full range of sewer cleaning equipment to deal with its sewer challenges.

“Zimfund through a different contract will be providing training to the municipalities in the operation and maintenance of the sewerage systems,” he said.

“The bank has taken a leading role in Zimbabwe’s re-engagement efforts and it is confident that the handover of the equipment signals our desire to go all the way in supporting this country’s development ambition and targets.”

He said the components are designed to alleviate public health risks and assisting the municipalities in improving their operations, maintenance and planning capabilities.

Magala said the government has engaged the services of a United Kingdom based firm, Crown Agents, as a procurement agent to oversee the procurement and to management the project.

“In order to effectively manage the implementation of the project’s activities, government has also engaged Lahmeyer GKW consultancy as the implementing entity charged with the responsibility of project supervision and management,” he said.

He said after making assessments, AfDB discovered that sewage spillage from blocked and overflowing sewers was one of the main risks facing residents.

Magala said it was therefore agreed that the removal of raw sewage from the residential areas should be a top priority in terms of Zimfund interventions.

“It is expected that through these combined interventions, equipment and training, the cities would be able to significantly improve the operation of their sewerage systems, thereby improving the health and quality of life of residents,” he said.

He said the objective of the project is to provide urgent support for restoration and stabilisation of water supply and sanitation services in the beneficiary cities.

Minister Chinamasa hailed AfDB for the gesture and urged other partners to take part in the development of the country’s infrastructure.

“As espoused in the Zimbabwe Agenda for Sustainable Socio-Economic Transformation (ZimAsset), government is fully aware that for the economy to register growth in a manner both competitive and effective there is need to develop robust, elaborate and resilient infrastructure in various sectors of the economy, water and sanitation included,” Minister Chinamasa said.

He urged other stakeholders involved in the project implementation to ensure that the intended objectives of the project are met.

In October last year AfDB through Zimfund managed to raise a total of $135 million for the energy and water sectors to help address the country’s infrastructure deficit.

The project has been designed to improve the health, social well-being and power supply through equitable service provision.

Zimfund is an infrastructure development programme supporting Zimbabwe’s economic recovery by improving the quality of life of ordinary citizens.