The Managing Director of the Guma Valley Water Company, Ing. Maada S. Kpenge has informed that the company has plans to build four new dams in the next five years.
“In the next fifteen years, we need to build 10 more dams; but within the next five years, we want to do four new dams, at Hamilton and River No. 2 Community and two at Regent, Kongo, and Toothik to address our long-term water supply needs as outlined in the Freetown Water Supply and Sanitation Master Plan 2023 – 2050”.
He made this disclosure at the weekly press conference organized by the Ministry of Information and Civic Education on Tuesday 19th March 2024 at the conference hall of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.
Ing. Kpenge explained that Guma Valley is tasked with providing water supply to the Western Area of Sierra Leone, with the Mile 13 Dam being the primary water source for Freetown. He thanked the British government for its support in rehabilitating the dam and treatment plant under the recently concluded Freetown Water Supply Rehabilitation Project.
The Managing Director said that other smaller facilities like the Kongo Dam at Regent, Thunder Hill, Blue Water, White Water, and Mamba Ridge weirs have all dried up due to deforestation and other human activities, causing acute water shortages in the dry season.
The Guma Chief asserted that the government-funded Mambo and Waterloo water supply projects are 95% and 75% completed and will be commissioned this year.
Ing. Kpenge also informed that the African Development Bank Group is funding the Angola water supply which is nearing completion.
“By June this year, when the Angola Water Supply Project shall be launched, communities from Emergency to Hamilton would be the first in Freetown to start receiving 24-hour water supply.”
The Guma Managing Director continued that plans are underway to reactivate the water supply to Allen Town and Calaba Town by developing new sources at Mongeba and Mortem because the Charlotte source which used to supply these communities has been lost due to housing developments.
Ing. Kpenge said other efforts being made by the company include rehabilitating and expanding existing facilities, such as the Kongo Dam and Babadorie Reservoir at Regent.
“As a result of the rehabilitation work at the Kongo dam, the oldest Dam in Freetown, and the Babadorie Reservoir, we were still able to supply water to the Regent and IMMAT communities and the American Embassy at this time of the year. By next year, we will extend to Hill Station”.
