The water treatment plant in Kamina, the capital of the southern province of Haut-Lomami in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), began supplying water on July 29, marking a major breakthrough in the DRC’s water treatment infrastructure construction and representing another livelihood achievement stemming from pragmatic cooperation between China and the DRC.
The water treatment plant is invested in and built by China Railway Group Limited (CREC). [Photo/sasac.gov.cn]
The plant, which has a designed daily supply capacity of more than 7,000 cubic meters, is expected to provide drinking water that meets local health standards to residents of Kamina and surrounding areas.
Previously, Kamina was plagued by underdeveloped water supply infrastructure and a significant gap between water supply and demand. The city’s outdated water plant could merely supply 400 cubic meters of water daily, while the regional average water demand surpassed 7,000 cubic meters, creating an enormous shortfall. More frustratingly, aged pipe networks and deteriorating water storage towers suffered frequent malfunctions. For a long time, local residents had no choice but to use unpurified surface water, posing severe safety hazards.
The new water plant has fundamentally resolved the water shortage predicament and has effectively protected local people’s drinking water safety.
A view of the water treatment plant. [Photo/sasac.gov.cn]
The project team adopted a two-phase plan to build the plant. Professional personnel from China Railway No.8 Engineering Group Co, Ltd, a subsidiary of CREC, completed construction of the plant zone and installed the water purification equipment with high standards. They also built a 5-kilometer cross-regional, pressurized water transmission pipeline to link the plant with the urban water supply network.
After the handover of the water plant, the company’s project team will remain on-site to provide sustained technical guidance for facility operation and maintenance, guaranteeing the long-term stable operation of the water treatment plant.
(Executive editor: Zuo Shihan)
