News / Local
Mtshabezi pipeline completion set for July - reports
11 Feb 2012 at 14:36hrs | Views
THE construction of the Mtshabezi-Umzingwane pipeline is set to be completed in July and according to reports, the only outstanding work is the installation of pumps and connecting electricity.
Progress in the construction of Mtshabezi-Umzingwane pipeline has been very slow and dates for completion of the project have been changed several times.
Responding to questions sent to him via e-mail the Minister of Water Resources Development and Management, Samuel Sipepa Nkomo said laying of pipes and construction of reservoirs has been completed.
He said Hydro Projects, a company that was contracted to do the power connections, had imported pumps from China and the project would be completed in July.
"Pipe laying is 100 percent complete and so is the construction of the reservoirs. The only outstanding work is the installation of pumps and connecting electricity. The tender for the outstanding work was awarded when work on the pipeline was midway through.
"A Bulawayo company, Hydro Projects, was contracted to do the power connections and they have since imported pumps from China, which are expected to arrive by the end of March. The installation is expected to be completed in two months time and testing of the whole system will start thereafter.
"All things being equal, the project is expected to be completed by July," said Minister Nkomo.
Mtshabezi Dam was completed in 1994 and has a holding capacity of 52.2 million cubic metres of water.
Since the dam's construction, the water body has been lying idle despite perennial water problems in Bulawayo.
The construction of the pipeline linking the dam to Umzingwane Dam, one of the city's water sources, faced many challenges that delayed the completion of the project.
Initially the completion date was set for March last year. Minister Nkomo said the project dragged because of challenges emanating from the fact that it depended on local companies to supply material, which was difficult because of their capacity.
Minister Nkomo said at some stage the contracts had to be re-tendered after local companies that had won the tender failed to deliver thereby delaying the completion of the project.
"This is a big engineering project and it requires big companies that can supply materials. At one point the contracted supplier of the pipes failed to supply and the contract had to be re-tendered by the State Procurement Board, a process that took six months to be concluded," he said.
Minister Nkomo said at times rains disrupted work on the project.
"In December 2010, there were floods and no work could be done for more than three months while a company that was contracted to supply steel pipes and fittings for use on the rocky parts of the project also struggled to deliver on time.
"The delays were therefore mainly to do with local industry's capacity and natural factors beyond our control," said Minister Nkomo.
Bulawayo whose water supplies are fast dwindling, is pinning its hopes on the completion of the project.
Progress in the construction of Mtshabezi-Umzingwane pipeline has been very slow and dates for completion of the project have been changed several times.
Responding to questions sent to him via e-mail the Minister of Water Resources Development and Management, Samuel Sipepa Nkomo said laying of pipes and construction of reservoirs has been completed.
He said Hydro Projects, a company that was contracted to do the power connections, had imported pumps from China and the project would be completed in July.
"Pipe laying is 100 percent complete and so is the construction of the reservoirs. The only outstanding work is the installation of pumps and connecting electricity. The tender for the outstanding work was awarded when work on the pipeline was midway through.
"A Bulawayo company, Hydro Projects, was contracted to do the power connections and they have since imported pumps from China, which are expected to arrive by the end of March. The installation is expected to be completed in two months time and testing of the whole system will start thereafter.
"All things being equal, the project is expected to be completed by July," said Minister Nkomo.
Mtshabezi Dam was completed in 1994 and has a holding capacity of 52.2 million cubic metres of water.
Since the dam's construction, the water body has been lying idle despite perennial water problems in Bulawayo.
The construction of the pipeline linking the dam to Umzingwane Dam, one of the city's water sources, faced many challenges that delayed the completion of the project.
Initially the completion date was set for March last year. Minister Nkomo said the project dragged because of challenges emanating from the fact that it depended on local companies to supply material, which was difficult because of their capacity.
Minister Nkomo said at some stage the contracts had to be re-tendered after local companies that had won the tender failed to deliver thereby delaying the completion of the project.
"This is a big engineering project and it requires big companies that can supply materials. At one point the contracted supplier of the pipes failed to supply and the contract had to be re-tendered by the State Procurement Board, a process that took six months to be concluded," he said.
Minister Nkomo said at times rains disrupted work on the project.
"In December 2010, there were floods and no work could be done for more than three months while a company that was contracted to supply steel pipes and fittings for use on the rocky parts of the project also struggled to deliver on time.
"The delays were therefore mainly to do with local industry's capacity and natural factors beyond our control," said Minister Nkomo.
Bulawayo whose water supplies are fast dwindling, is pinning its hopes on the completion of the project.
Source - chronicle
