By: Audrey Raymonda John
The Board of Directors of the Guma Valley Water Company (GVWC) concluded a two-day oversight mission on Wednesday, 28th May 2025, aimed at inspecting and reviewing progress on major water supply projects across the Western Area. The mission involved engagements with project contractors, consultants, and on-site visits to critical infrastructure locations.
The oversight visit forms part of the company’s commitment to ensuring transparency, accountability, and timely delivery in the implementation of the Freetown Water Supply and Aquatic Environment Revamping Project (WASHAERP).
During the tour, the Guma Board, joined by senior management staff, held strategic meetings with key contractors and consultants, including Hamosan Construction Company, Brunnenbau Conrad SL (BBC), KOFA Construction Company, China Henan International Cooperation Group (CHICO), and the supervising consultants, 3BMD Associate Consulting Engineers.
The Board conducted site inspections at several major project locations:
Babadorie site in Regent, Kongo Dam, Allen Town Reservoir and Ongoing pipeline works in Allen Town.
Ing. David Karim Fonnie, Chairman of the Guma Board, emphasized the importance of direct Board involvement in monitoring project execution.
“Too often, key updates remain at the management level without Board oversight. We felt it necessary to see the progress for ourselves and verify that reports match what is on the ground. A contractor is only a true partner when they deliver results—and that’s our benchmark,” Fonnie asserted.
He also noted that water demand in the Western Area has tripled since Guma’s inception in the 1960s, highlighting the urgent need to expand supply infrastructure to meet growing needs.
The WASHAERP project comprises a series of infrastructure developments designed to expand access to safe and reliable water throughout the Western Area. Key highlights include:
Construction of Nine New Raw Water Reservoirs, Located at Babadorie (Regent)* with a total storage capacity of approximately 132 million liters. Rehabilitation of Existing Infrastructure, including Kongo Dam, Kongo Weir, Tacuyama Weir, Sugar Loaf Weir, and associated transmission pipelines.
New Weirs at Mortem and Mongegba: To improve raw water flow and increase storage capacity. Raw Water Transmission to Allen Town Treatment Plant
Laying of pipelines from the weirs to treatment facilities to support continuous water processing. Expansion of Allen Town Water Treatment Plant
Comprehensive design improvements, rehabilitation, and capacity expansion.
Construction of Two Booster Pumping Stations.
At Governor’s Lodge (Wilberforce) and Africanus Road (Kissy) to improve water pressure in elevated areas.
Rehabilitation of Six Reservoirs.
Located at: Wilberforce Village, Governor’s Lodge (Wilberforce)Barham Road, Hill Station Circular Tank, Hill Station OAU Tank Hooke Street (Kissy).
Community Access Pipelines and Kiosks.
Construction of pipelines to serve six public water kiosks in Mortem and Mongegba enhancing direct community access to potable water. Installation of 45 Kilometers of New Distribution Pipelines.
Covering areas such as Hooke Street, Allen Town, Hill Station, and Mambo.