“We will collaborate with the team in charge of building the infrastructure. We will do everything possible to ensure its durability and reliability.”
We left off with these words from Fabien Mbonimpa , head of the Mugina municipal water management agency, in the last update on the Water, source of life and development project in Cibitoke, Burundi.
And it is precisely from here that we pick up the thread of the story. After the inauguration of the excavations , which marked the official start of the work, what is happening today in the province of Cibitoke?
Simultaneous work on the hills
Digging of the trenches that will carry drinking water is progressing. Work is progressing simultaneously and progressively on all six hills affected by the project: Rushima, Rubirizi, Musenyi, Gicaca, Gabiro-Ruvyagira, and Rukana.
To date, more than 2 km of the total planned 21 km have already been excavated.
Rehabilitation of the existing network
At the same time, a detailed inventory of the existing water network’s needs has been completed. This preliminary work will identify the interventions needed to restore inactive infrastructure : from resurfacing some public fountains to replacing damaged plumbing fixtures and repairing leaky tanks.
The next steps
Pipe laying in the trenches already dug will begin shortly. In parallel, construction of the first new infrastructure will begin.
The AMU project in Burundi
The Water, Source of Life and Development project in Cibitoke involves the construction of a new water network over 21 kilometers long, the installation of ten tanks and the construction of nineteen public drinking fountains, some of which are located near four schools.
The rehabilitation of a portion of the existing network connecting the Nyaruseke and Murama hills is also planned.
This phase of the project is carried out by AMU in collaboration with its local partner CASOBU , with the support of the CEI – Italian Episcopal Conference.