Mulonga Water Lands K4.5 Billion Govt Grant

25 May 2011

The Government has given Mulonga Water and Sewerage Company K4.5 billion for the company to improve water reticulation in Lulamba and Chikola townships.

And the Devolution Trust Fund (DTF) is in the process of giving the company K1.3 billion to improve water reticulation in Chabanyama Township.

Mulonga Water and Sewerage Company managing director Manuel Mutale said the Lulamba-Chikola water project was funded by the Government through the Ministry of Local Government and Housing.

He said the K4.5 billion was the routine and periodical fund from the Government aimed at helping various commercial water utilities to deliver services to the people.

Mr Mutale said the Government understood well the direct link between public health and the provision of clean water and proper sanitation services and that was why his institution received the fund.

He said Lulamba Stage Seven and Chikola and Chabanyama townships were the areas where Mulonga Water had faced problems to supply sufficient water and with the funding, the company would improve the water reticulation system.

Mr Mutale said in Lulamba, the company would replace the trunk line (main line), the distribution pipes and install meters to most of the houses to control water usage.

He said with these interventions, the company was hoping to cover more than 90 per cent of the district’s population with clean piped water.

Mr Mutale said Mulonga Water had carried out three phases of water projects in Chiwempala, which would link with the upcoming project in Chabanyama Township.

The Chabanyama project would involve replacement of water pipes and installation of meters.

He said once Chabanyama and Twatasha townships were covered by the water reticulation projects, most of the people in Chingola would start receiving piped water.

Mr Mutale said the water projects would also improve the revenue base of Mulonga Water and Sewerage Company.

“Once the projects are completed, the customers will have the much needed commodity and the isolated cases of cholera that were coming from these areas would be dealt with,” he said.

And DTF manager Samuel Gon’ga said his organisation was working with the water regulator and various water utilities in the country with the view to improve the critical areas which needed immediate intervention.

He said DTF had received several submissions from Mulonga Water and Sewerage Company that had not been successful but said that this particular submission had gone through.

AllAfrica – All the Time