US$6,6m for King City sewer, water systems

THE Bulawayo City Council (BCC) says at least US$6,6 million is needed to connect the King City area to its sewage and water reticulation systems.

The first phase of the project will have 328 housing stands.

According to the latest council minutes, BCC director of engineering services Sikhumbuzo Ncube reported last month that the King City area needed to be connected to the city’s sewage and water reticulation systems.

King City is in Umguza adjacent to Bulawayo’s Sunninghill suburb.

“The King City suburb has a total of 10 000 stands once fully developed. The initial project phase had a total 328 stands. The developer had been communicating with the engineering services department with the last communication being done on May 31, 2023 through their engineering consultants,” read the minutes.

The BCC said King City was not within the administrative boundary of the City of Bulawayo but was within Umguza Rural District Council boundary making it impossible for Bulawayo city to connect the development.

“The development would only be connected if investments were done to the existing infrastructure and development upstream of the water network in order to accommodate the development and not affect the existing water reticulation,” read the minutes.

Council noted that the proposed phase one may be connected to the 225mm AC water mains in Killarney.

On the proposed investment in the water infrastructure to connect King City, council said, the infrastructure investment such as water mains needed US$875 000 and the project would take 85 days to complete.

On the Criterion bypass, BCC said it needed to construct a 600mm water mains bypass from Plant 2 at Criterion waterworks to link with reservoir compartment and construct a chlorine dosing room and equip it which required US$1,3 million.

The project will take 60 days to complete.

On the uMzingwane Pump Station Scope, BCC said there was need to add a new 1MVA transformer with the capacity of three pumps, rehabilitate the existing pipe at the pump station at US$900 000 and the project may take 80 days.

BCC said connecting King City to the City of Bulawayo sewage reticulation onto the existing outfall of diameter 450mm required the development to be incorporated in the city.

The budget for the project is pegged at US$1 500 000 and the project may take 60 days.

On the sewage Pump Station Scope, council said it needed to construct a pump station to pump sewage into the exit outfall and that was expected to cost US$600 000.

There is also need to rehabilitate and upgrade the collapsed section at Aiselby 3 outfall at a budget of US$1,5 million.

Total budget of the connection project is set at US$6 675 000.