SIPHOFANENI: Work to build a key component of an ambitious E18 billion dam and water conveyance infrastructure to bring water to the dry Lavumisa region is expected to begin early in 2025.
Project managers, the Eswatini Water and Agriculture Development Enterprise (EWADE) have issued a call for construction and engineering companies to submit bids for the construction of a 36-kilometre pipeline that will convey water from the Mpakeni Dam located in the foothills west of Qomintaba in Lavumisa to irrigation projects stretching from Sigwe to St Phillips and Maloma areas.
The Roller Compacted Concrete Dam which is still in the early phases of constructing the floor, will have 540 million m3 gross capacity and at 129 meters high, overtakes the Maguga Dam which carries 330 million m3 and stands at 115 m high. The new dam is funded by the Africa Development Bank (ADB) at a cost of almost E18 billion. An open international competitive bidding (OCB) bidding international tender for the construction of a 36km pipeline that will take water from the dam to agriculture projects downstream was issued last week by the Eswatini Water and Agricultural Development Enterprise (ESWADE). It seeks contractors who will be able to complete the project within 1025 days (about 3 years). The call says that the bidding for the project will be conducted through the Open Competitive Bidding (international) OCBI procedures as specified in the Africa Development Bank’s Procurement Framework.
The Procurement Framework for Bank Group Funded operations dated October 2015, which is available on the ADB website at http://www.afdb.org is open to all pre-qualified eligible bidders.
In line with the size and complexity of the project that is worth almost E3 billion, bids that must be delivered on or before the 18th February 2025 must be accompanied by a security deposit of E40 million or equivalent.
Eligible bidders may also obtain further information from EWADE CEO Samson Sithole email tenders@eswade.co.sz with copy to mnwap@eswade.co.sz. The bidding document may also be inspected during office hours 0800 to 1600 at EWADE Offices at Siphofaneni.
The project is part of the Mkhondvo Ngwavuma Water Augmentation Project (MNWAP) which is in the process of capturing water from the Mkhondvo River, west of Nhlangano and conveying it to the Mpakeni Dam.
EWADE is departing from previous practice by abandoning a canal in preference for a pipeline for both water conveyance from Mkhondvo to Mpakeni and from Mpakeni to the downstream irrigation areas at Mconcwane, Sigwe, St Philips, Mcathuvane and Maloma.
The choice of pipeline technology reflects EWADE’s growing confidence and experience gained from projects in the past 25 years. When it started with the Komati Downstream Development Project (KDDP), EWADE had a minimal role that only involved capturing overflow water at Sihhoye. The water is supplied by the Maguga Dam and carried down to Sihhoye by the Nkomazi River where it is used to irrigate smallholder sugar, vegetables and other crop farms.
The Maguga Dam was developed as a bi-national Komati Basin Water Authority (KOBWA) – a partnership between the Kingdom and South Africa that carried 60% of Eswatini’s largest dam to irrigate farming in Mpumalanga’s Nkomazi region north of Matsamo. KOBWA is an independent initiative unrelated to EWADE. It has its own offices and management structure.
In its first sole project EWADE developed the Lubovane Dam on the hills south of Siphofaneni. It then built an almost 100 kilometre-long canal to irrigate both the first and second phases of the Lower Usuthu Smallholder Irrigation Project (LUSIP). The canal ends at Nsoko and is benefitting the extremely dry Ngwavuma lowveld.
The EWADE management team that is driving the largest and most ambitious engineering initiative is also 100% Swazi. The Chief Executive is Dr. Samson Sithole and MNWAP project engineer is Veli Vilane, the only dam engineer in the Kingdom.
By changing to pipeline, EWADE is tapping into a range of benefits. Pipelines have been proven to bring up to 100% conveyance efficiencies compared to 70% or less for canals. Pipelines can also help conserve water and reduce operation and maintenance costs.
Pipelines which are laid underground are also safer compared to canals whose fast flowing waters can bedangerous and unsafe to cross.
Pipelines are also environmentally more desirable than canals when considering environmental impact, evaporation, or water pollution.
As they are buried underground, people, animals and vehicles can use the surface above the pipelines without interference.
Jm/today/26.11.2024
