Staff Reporter
THE construction of the upgraded Outapi Water Treatment Plant has reached 60% completion, with the project expected to be completed by June next year and significantly improve water supply to residents in the area.
Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Land Reform Minister Inge Zaamwani inspected the project during a visit to the site and said progress was encouraging, although major work remained.
“We are happy with the progress, but there is still a lot more remaining,” Zaamwani said.
She said the remaining work would largely involve electrical engineering, which could take longer to complete.
Photos: Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water & Land Reform
“They are telling us that they should be completed in 10 months, so we expect that by June next year we should have water running into the homes of the residents of Outapi,” she said.
NamWater engineer Satiel Shanika said the upgrade was necessary because the existing plant could no longer meet the area’s water requirements.
The upgraded plant will have a capacity of 490 cubic metres per hour, which Shanika said was almost five times the capacity of the original plant.
He said the project was expected to significantly address water challenges in the area once completed.
Shanika explained that water would be abstracted from the canal using a pumping station before being transferred to a storage dam and then to the treatment plant.
At the plant, the water will be purified before being transferred to clean-water storage reservoirs for distribution to consumers.
The project is expected to strengthen water infrastructure and improve the reliability of water supply in the region.
