By: Latifa Yusuf Masai
HARGEISA (Somalilandsun) – The rehabilitation and expansion of the Hargeisa Urban Water System has ensued
The works expected to fill the gap in water supply for residents of the Somaliland capital city, Hargeisa kicked off upon the arrival of the firms from Ethiopia and France Awash Weldey & Feljas and Masson Contracting Companies contracted to perform civil works for the Hargeisa Urban Water Supply Upgrading Project-HUWSUP.
HUWSUP is being undertaken by the Hargeisa Water Agency (HWA), with technical support from UN-HABITAT and funding by the European Union and the Somaliland Development Fund (SDF).
The French and Ethiopian firms that jointly won an open bid for Main Construction Contract have the three major tasks as scope of their works that shall mainly be undertaken at Geed Deeble, located 22 km North of Hargeisa Town
The project seeks to improve sustainable access to safe quality and quality drinking water to the Hargeisa town including the urban poor through drilling of three new boreholes, boreholes equipment and piped connection of the boreholes of Hora Haadley to the Geed Deeble system.
According to the Managing Director of the Hargeisa Water Agency-HWA Ibrahim Siyaad Yonis the now in progress works were necessitated by insufficient supply that was installed by a Chinese firm.
Stating that a meeting between officials of HWA and the two firms of
Awash Weldey & Feljas and Masson Contracting Companies in Hargeisa ended on concurrence towards completion of works as per specification and timeline.
The Joint Construction Contractors also held lengthily discussions with a HUWSUP oversight committee chaired by the Somaliland water minister that is composed of senior government officials, HWA, Hargeisa Mayor and representatives from UN-HABITAT, European Union and SDF.
To complement the wider upgrading project a number of activities have already been accomplished notably the extension works for the Xaraf Ayaha Water Supply System project which is geared towards reducing cost of water for the Hayaha 1&2 IDP settlements in South West Hargeysa.
