Sierra Leone’s Minister of Water Resources, Jonathan Bonopha Tengbe, has made a working visit to Beijing, the Chinese capital. Several issues related to China-Sierra Leone cooperation in the water sector were on the agenda. A framework agreement was signed between Jonathan Bonopha Tengbe and the heads of China Gezhouba Group Company (CGGC), based in Wuhan, China.
The Chinese company, which is very active in the construction sector throughout Africa, will implement two drinking water projects. First, the construction of the Orugu dam, which will store the water from the Rokel River at the Mortem village. The contract also includes the construction of a plant to treat the water from the Orugu dam. The plant will be able to provide 70,000 m3 of drinking water per day. The government estimates that the amount of water will supply more than 600,000 people, mainly in the Grafton, Jui, Waterloo, Allen Town, Calaba Town, Wellington and Kissy localities.
The Congo drinking water project
CGGC will also implement a drinking water project on the Congo River. The project involves building a dam on the Congo River, near the mountainous city of Regent, located in western Sierra Leone. The water retention will supply a plant with a capacity of 30,000 m3 per day. The water will be used in Regent, Leicester, Gloucester, Kortright/Fourah Bay College, Charlotte, Bathurst, Imatt and Hill Station.
The two projects are currently undergoing a first assessment by the state-owned Guma Valley Water Company (GVWC) with the support of the Ministry of Water Resources of Ghana. However, no details were given on the financing of these two drinking water projects. However, the Government of Sierra Leone states that the ongoing evaluation will enable, “CGGC and GVWC to begin to assess the technical aspects and environmental impacts of projects in order to develop innovative financing solutions so that projects do not represent a significant burden on the Government of Sierra Leone”. In any case, the two drinking water projects are eagerly awaited.
Jean Marie Takouleu