On Tuesday 13th October 2020, the Board of Directors and a cross section of management staff of Guma Valley Water Company made a working visit to the District Metering Area (DMA) and Water Kiosk Demonstration Pilot Project site at Aberdeen. The mission of the Board and Management was to get an update on the project construction activities with respect to the construction of the Water Kiosks, pipe works and metering of customers’ premises in the Aberdeen DMA.
Addressing the Guma delegation at the ASPAC/NIMO Laydown Area, the Adam Smith International (ASI) Resident Engineer Fernando George Silva said they had been tasked with construction of five (5) Water Kiosks in Aberdeen and 6 in Kingtom.
Silva added that they will be undertaking pipe laying works in Aberdeen and Kingtom including construction of bulk meter chambers, removing spaghetti pipe at Crab Town (Aberdeen), connecting customers to a new manifold system and supplying leaks repair kits to Guma. The ASI Resident Engineer, however, highlighted a few challenges they are faced with, especially custom clearance delays, availability of space for kiosks, soil condition at Crab Town and coordination with utility companies.
In her own statement, the Environmental, Health and Safety Officer (ASI) Madam Josephine Turay said they are upholding all health and safety protocols including employees’ and visitors’ inductions, daily tools and equipment inspections, implementation of COVID-19 mitigation plan, awareness on HIV/AIDs and sexually transmitted diseases, stakeholder engagement and grievance mechanism, etc. Madam Turay said local employment and procurement is a priority and that 75% of the employees reside in the communities they are working in.
Speaking on behalf of the Board Members, the Chairman Hon. Bintu Myers said they were satisfied with the construction works so far carried out. The Guma Board Chairman added, they hope that at the end of the day the objectives of the project which is to improve on commercial practices, operational independence, planning capacity and customer services of Guma through community, consumer and customer engagements, will be met.
The Aberdeen and Kingtom District Metering Area and Pilot Kiosks Demonstration activity is one of the interventions under the MCC/MCCU Threshold program which aims to reduce non-revenue water and improve water supply services in Freetown.
In a related development, the Chief Executive Officer of the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), Sean Cairncross will pay a two-day visit to Sierra Leone on 15th and 16th October 2020. The CEO is scheduled to visit MCC programs in the region and will use the opportunity to touch down in Sierra Leone to discuss progress on the implementation of the 5-years $44.4 million Threshold Program.
While in Freetown, the MCC CEO will meet with high-level government officials.
Cairncross and the Vice President Dr. Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh will on Friday 16th October 2020 commission the water kiosk project at Aberdeen.
By Ophaniel Gooding