USD 101-Million Contract Awarded to Contribute to Better Water Supply and Sanitation in Zambia

Kafubu Water and Sewerage Company (KWSC) has entrusted Veolia, through its subsidiaries Veolia Water Technologies and Krüger A/S, to rehabilitate and expand its water and wastewater infrastructures located in the Copperbelt in northern Zambia. The USD 101.6 million contract aims at improving the water and wastewater services in Ndola, Luanshya and Masaiti urban areas and strengthening the capacity of KWSC to operate the facilities in an efficient and sustainable way. 

Situated north of the country, Ndola is the third largest city in Zambia, the industrial and commercial center of the Copperbelt, Zambia's copper-mining region, and the capital of Copperbelt Province. It is also the commercial capital city of Zambia and has one of the three international airports, others being Livingstone and Lusaka. It is expected that by 2020, the inhabitants of the three urban areas will increase from 600,000 to 900,000 people who will benefit from the project through improved health conditions and increased reliability of the water supply and sanitation services.

The existing water and wastewater facilities are in a progressive state of physical deterioration, with 67% of water wasted through leakage in the distribution network and sewer overflows which flood streets and roads, resulting in serious damage to property as well as health. 

The rehabilitation program comprises approximately 147 km of distribution networks for drinking water, as well as 21 groundwater wells, 6 raw water intake installations for surface water, 6 waterworks, and 18 pumping stations. Furthermore, the 9 wastewater treatment plants will be renovated and approximately 30 km of sewer networks will be upgraded. The project will be conducted over 30 months and is expected to be completed by September 2017.

“We are delighted to be working with Veolia on a project so important for the sustainable future of our region. We trust that their experience on both a regional and international level will contribute to the success of the project”, said Athanasius K. Mwaba, Managing Director of KWSC.

Jean-François Nogrette, Chief Executive Officer of Veolia Water Technologies, said: “We are very pleased to have been chosen by Kafubu Water and Sewerage Company to help it provide for a better access to essential services. For 160 years, Veolia has been committed to ensuring that everyone has a sustainable and qualitative access to basic water and cleanliness, as well as to preserving resources. We are looking forward to our expertise and solutions supporting the Ndola, Luanshya and Masaiti communities’ wellbeing.”

The project was made possible thanks to a loan granted by the Danish Government through its international development agency Danida Business Finance. It will be executed by a consortium of Veolia subsidiaries, Krüger from Denmark and Veolia Water Technologies in South Africa.