The Kazungula water and sanitation project can begin. The Southern African Development Community (SADC) has announced funding of €8.8 million for the first phase of the project, which will improve access to these essential services in Kazungula, a small town on the border between Botswana and Zambia.
SADC, which selects proposals for bankable projects in the Southern African sub-region, will draw on its €15 million water grant fund from the German development agency Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW) to meet this commitment to Botswana and Zambia.
Zambezi River Water Development
SADC has chosen the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) as its fund implementation partner. 8.8 million will be used to build a new water intake on the Zambezi River, upstream of the Kazungula Bridge. This is the fourth longest river in Africa (2,575 kilometres) after the Nile, the Congo and the Niger.
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The raw water will be treated in a new plant and then stored in reservoirs. “This stage of the project will also see the rehabilitation and extension of water transport and distribution pipes. This will significantly improve access to clean water and ensure a reliable supply to the town of Kazungula,” explains Margi Hellwig-Boette, Germany’s ambassador to Botswana and special representative to SADC.
The last two phases of the Kazungula project aim to strengthen basic sanitation services in the border town, including the construction of new facilities. The installation of these sanitation facilities will also be financed by the Zambian government.
Inès Magoum