02 Oct 2022

The Minister of Lands and Water Affairs, Dr Kefentse Mzwinila, has applauded the timely construction and delivery of the 92 million litres concrete reservoir at Forest Hill, Kgale.

Speaking during a brief tour of the North-South Carrier (NSC) 2.3 water transfer scheme in Kgale on Wednesday, Minister Mzwinila said government appreciated the quality of work done and the ability of constructors to maintain the time allocated for the project.

The contract is a joint venture between China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) and Van and Truck Hire.

“The NSC 2.3 water transfer scheme is divided into three contracts. Contract one entails the construction of a pump station at Mmamashia Water Treatment Works and about 29km of a 1 200 diameter steel pipeline to the 92ml concrete reservoir in Forest Hill, which is by far the largest reservoir in the Water Utilities Corporation (WUC) infrastructure and a true landmark,” he said.

Dr Mzwinila said the objective of the water scheme project was to transfer 100 million litres of water to the 92ml reservoir for onward transmission to Greater Gaborone, Lobatse, Good Hope Sub-district and surrounding villages. 

He said the reservoir would also supply parts of Gaborone, Mogoditshane, Kumakwane, Gabane, Tloaneng, Mokolodi and surrounding villages.

He said the steel pipeline construction was 96 per cent complete except for the section next to GIPS, which required blasting.

He added that the 92ml reservoir construction was completed in June and the constructor was applying finishing touches such as sealing of joints while tank water tightness tests and disinfection were scheduled for end of project.

Dr Mzwinila said budget for the project was over P897 million and was planned to finish in November.

For his part, project engineer, Mr Robert Modise said the pump station at the Mmamashia Treatment Plant was almost complete and awaiting commissioning.

He said construction of the steel pipeline from Mmamashia was also heading towards completion.

Kgosi Mosadi of Balete appreciated the project and expressed satisfaction with a number of major water infrastructure projects that government was undertaking in an effort to bring water to Batswana. 

She said land and water were basic human necessities and projects of such nature had to be expedited.

The NSC 1 was planned under the National Water Master Plan of 1993 and implemented and commissioned in 1999.

It has four pump stations at Letsibogo, Moralane, Lemone and Mmamabule. Various upgrades had been made along the pipeline with the major ones being the replacement of 26km Galvanized reinforced pipe (GRP) with steel upstream of Palapye completed in 2015 and lately another replacement of 23km pipe from Rasesa to Mmamashia.

To allow for operational efficiency through flexibility to use either the Mmamashia water plant of Gaborone treatment plant the NSC 2.3 water transfer scheme had to be implemented.  BOPA