By Isaac Zulu
Erratic water supply in Kapiri due to pump failure
Lukanga Water and Sanitation Company says the erratic water supply being experoenced in Kapiri is due to a pump failure at Mushimbili Dam.
And the utility firm in conjunction with a consortium of donors have secured about 21 Million Euros for water improvement project in some parts of Central Province which includes Kapiri Mposhi.
The donors include the European Union, German Aid in Zambia (GIZ), KFW, a German bank and UNICEF
In a statement, Lukanga Water and Sanitation Company Limited public relations manager Siwa Mwene explained that the water utility is optimistic that the project component of alternative power supply using solar, will reduce over dependency on hydro power and improve on water supply to customers.
“Among the objectives of the upcoming project is to improve efficiency in sustainable energy utilization (most of the pumping equipment will be replaced with more efficient units), alternative power supply through Photovoltaic (PV) solar installations, Non-Revenue Water Management and network expansion. Lukanga Water is optimistic that the project component of alternative power supply using solar will help reduce the dependency on hydro power and improve hours of supply to customers,” Mwene stated. “We empathize with the people of Kapiri Mposhi and assure them that we are doing our best to ensure that normal water supply is restored in the quickest possible time.”
Mwene stated that water supply worsened owing to the unstable power supply at the production and distribution plants.
“Kapiri Mposhi district has had erratic water supply due to pump failure at Mushimbili dam which has resulted in loss of water supply from 4,700 cubic litres per day to 3,500 cubic litres per day. This has led to reduced supply hours to no water in some areas,” stated Mwene. “The situation has been worsened by unstable power supply at the water production and distribution plants which has agitated the situation in the district. As an immediate measure, Lukanga Water has purchased two pumps which will be installed at Mushimbili and Lunchu dams to restore normal water supply. The pumps which will be installed at Lunchu and Mushimbili dams are meant to improve water supply to areas facing erratic water supply in Kapiri Mposhi district. On the other hand, Lukanga is constantly engaging ZESCO to resolve power challenges as the water company solely depends on hydro power for water supply.”
