Harar to replace dried out water pipelines
By Andualem Sisay
Harar, a town beset with water shortages for over two decades, is going to replace its old and rusted pipelines to get water from the 72 km new pipeline distribution network project that plans to cover in addition to Harar neighboring towns of Aweday and Haromay.
The new line is believed to minimize water contamination, which often used to occur as a result of the old rusted pipelines, according to Bushra Mohamed, Public Relations Head of the Water Supply and Sewerage Authority of the Harari People Regional State.
The installation of the new pipeline will begin within a few days as all the necessary equipment has already arrived at Harar. But according to Bushra, their request for the release of the equipment tax free from the Customs Authority did not receive a positive answer, although the issue has reached the Prime Minister’s office.
It was a few months ago that the Harari People Regional State had requested the government to lift the 54 mln birr surtax and Value Added Tax (VAT), imposed on the already imported equipment for the Dire-Jara project. It is to be recalled that a 100 million birr bid to supply pumps, generators and electromechanical equipment had passed the selection process.
“As the federal government still did not lift the tax on the equipment, Harar’s hope to quench its thirst shortly is still uncertain. Beyond the Federal government’s promises, the equipment has not been released,” Bushra told Capital.
The contractor, China Overseas Construction Company, has finalized the installation of about 60 km of pipeline and is expected to finalize the remaining 11 km, according to Bushra.
The project is funded by a 215 million birr loan and a 12 million birr grant from the African Development Bank (ADB), 66 million birr from the Harari People Regional State and another 20 million birr loan from the Water Development Fund of Ethiopia. The project fund agreement was signed two years ago.
The Dire-Jara project was initiated in 1997 by digging 17 waterholes at Asandiso, 71 km from Harar and 25 km from Dire Dawa. Of the 17 waterholes dug by the region at a cost of 4 million birr, potable water was tapped from twelve.
Currently, there are seven waterholes supplying water in shifts to a population of 160,000. However, in addition to the population living in the city, it was learnt that 29,000 residents in the rural areas of Harar are also suffering from the water shortage.
The Capital
Harar, a town beset with water shortages for over two decades, is going to replace its old and rusted pipelines to get water from the 72 km new pipeline distribution network project that plans to cover in addition to Harar neighboring towns of Aweday and Haromay.
The new line is believed to minimize water contamination, which often used to occur as a result of the old rusted pipelines, according to Bushra Mohamed, Public Relations Head of the Water Supply and Sewerage Authority of the Harari People Regional State.
The installation of the new pipeline will begin within a few days as all the necessary equipment has already arrived at Harar. But according to Bushra, their request for the release of the equipment tax free from the Customs Authority did not receive a positive answer, although the issue has reached the Prime Minister’s office.
It was a few months ago that the Harari People Regional State had requested the government to lift the 54 mln birr surtax and Value Added Tax (VAT), imposed on the already imported equipment for the Dire-Jara project. It is to be recalled that a 100 million birr bid to supply pumps, generators and electromechanical equipment had passed the selection process.
“As the federal government still did not lift the tax on the equipment, Harar’s hope to quench its thirst shortly is still uncertain. Beyond the Federal government’s promises, the equipment has not been released,” Bushra told Capital.
The contractor, China Overseas Construction Company, has finalized the installation of about 60 km of pipeline and is expected to finalize the remaining 11 km, according to Bushra.
The project is funded by a 215 million birr loan and a 12 million birr grant from the African Development Bank (ADB), 66 million birr from the Harari People Regional State and another 20 million birr loan from the Water Development Fund of Ethiopia. The project fund agreement was signed two years ago.
The Dire-Jara project was initiated in 1997 by digging 17 waterholes at Asandiso, 71 km from Harar and 25 km from Dire Dawa. Of the 17 waterholes dug by the region at a cost of 4 million birr, potable water was tapped from twelve.
Currently, there are seven waterholes supplying water in shifts to a population of 160,000. However, in addition to the population living in the city, it was learnt that 29,000 residents in the rural areas of Harar are also suffering from the water shortage.
The Capital
posted by Harar Connection at 1:56 PM
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