President Jacob Zuma on Friday launched the more than R12.45-billion Mzimvubu water project, which would include the building of the Ntabelanga and Laleni dams, in the Eastern Cape.
The Ntabelanga dam, which would store about 490-million cubic metres of water, would be used for domestic and agricultural water supply requirements, while the Laleni dam would be used for hydropower generation. First water delivery would be in 2016.
Construction of the Ntabelanga dam, its associated works and infrastructure, bulk water conveyance infrastructure, infield farming infrastructure and the building of the Laleni hydropower scheme in 2016/17 aid job creation. “The project is expected to create about 6 700 jobs a year during the construction phase and 6 500 jobs [a year] during the operational phase,” Zuma said.
By: Leandi Kolver
Read the full article here: http://www.engineeringnews.co.za/article/mzimvubu-water-project-launched-2014-04-14/rep_id:3182
