New water treatment plant will benefit Botswana’s economy

New water treatment plant will benefit Botswana’s economy

A new, multi-stage water treatment plant, which will be built in Kasane in the northern region of Botswana, will greatly benefit the region’s economy by boosting tourism and business as well as providing additional water resources to local communities.

South African based WEC Projects has been appointed as the Engineering, Procurement and Construction contractor for the R50-million project which is currently in the design phase. The plant is expected to be completed in 2023.

When complete, the water treatment plant will provide 18Ml of potable water per day to a local population of 90 000 people as well as businesses in the region.

The plant, which will replace an older facility that is no longer able to cope with demand, is being built for the Botswana Water Utilities Corporation by Gaborone based Zhong Gan Engineering and Construction. Zhong Gan subcontracted the treatment system to WEC Projects.

WEC Projects is designing the project alongside South African engineering company, Bergstan, and will be responsible for a portion of the process design as well as the complete electrical, control and telemetry system. WEC Projects will also manage the project, handle procurement and final commissioning of the plant.

New water treatment plant will benefit Botswana’s economy

The plant will draw raw water from the Chobe River and pump it to a header tower and from there to the plant for the coagulation and flocculation process to remove suspended solids.

The water will then pass through a lamellar clarifier to remove particulates and then further process it through a rapid gravity sand filter and rapid gravity carbon filter. Once the water has passed through the final filtration phase, it will undergo a disinfection process using chlorine dioxide before it enters the municipal water supply.

According to Wayne Taljaard, Managing Director of WEC Projects, the town of Kasane has undergone substantial growth mostly because of the burgeoning tourism industry. “The Government of Botswana has responded by ensuring that the region is able to cope not only with an influx of tourists and tourism facilities, but also with the resultant increase in the number of ancillary businesses and workers that are flocking to the area,” says Taljaard.

“The main challenge of the project is to ensure that the treated water, sourced from the Chobe River, meets the required standards for human consumption. Once completed, the plant will ensure a consistent supply of potable water to one of the country’s fastest growing regions well into the future,” adds Taljaard.

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