Rwanda’s Water and Sanitation Corporation (Wasac) has held a kickoff meeting with stakeholders for the North-Central Kigali water supply project in the country’s capital city.

The two-year scheme is aimed at rehabilitating the region’s water supply network and constructing reservoirs to benefit over 175,000 residents, specifically in the areas of Gisozi, Kagugu, Kinyinya and Nyarutarama.

Key project works include the construction of distribution blocks to reduce physical losses in the water supply system, 64km of distribution networks and 70km of service connections. The scheme will also install pressure-breaking equipment and build elevated reservoir tanks of 500 cubic metres at Kagugu and ​​Gacuriro and one of 200 cubic metres at Nyarutarama, as well as a groundwater reservoir of 1,000 cubic metres at Batsinda.

Once revamped, the water supply system is expected to improve the provision of water at the household level and create additional supply opportunities to new customers.

The governments of Japan and Rwanda signed a US$22 million grant agreement for the North-Central Kigali scheme in December 2022.

The project is one of the highest priority schemes of the Water Supply Master Plan for Kigali, developed by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in 2021, and is aligned with the government’s target to achieve universal access to water by 2030. It is part of the first of four phases of non-revenue water (NRW) reduction under the masterplan.

The North-Central Kigali scheme follows on from the completion of the Nzove-Ntora water transmission pipeline in the city, which was inaugurated in late March and is said to be the largest of its type in Rwanda, with a diameter of 900 millimetres.

Happening now : inauguration ceremony of the completed Grant Aid Project for Strengthening Nzove - Ntora Principal Water Transmission Pipeline in Kigali City (Nzove Ntora).@RwandaInfra @japaninrwanda @wasac_rwanda @CityofKigali @Dr_JimmyGasore pic.twitter.com/KVct7qsp4D

— JICA Rwanda (@JicainRwanda) March 20, 2024

The 9.4km pipeline enables the supply of 53,000 cubic metres a day (cm/d) of water from the Nzove water treatment plant (WTP) in Kinyinya to the Ntora reservoir in Gisozi, up from the previous 37,000 cm/d. This has enhanced access to water for an estimated 440,000 residents in the Gasabo and Nyarugenge districts. The scheme included the construction of an elevated water tank at Ntora with a capacity of 576 cubic metres.

At the pipeline’s inauguration, Wasac CEO Omar Munyaneza said the rate of access to water was at 82.3% nationwide and above 90% in Kigali.

“We are working hard to ensure adequate water access to all Rwandans. We are installing new water supply systems and plan to rehabilitate old water treatment plants, starting with the Nzove 1 WTP,” Munyaneza said.

In early September, Wasac invited interest from consultants for the supervision of construction works on the facility’s rehabilitation, with a deadline of 23 September.

The work is part of the first phase of the US$800 million Rwanda Transformative and Sustainable Water and Sanitation Programme, which aims to improve access to water supply and sanitation services in targeted districts of the country.

The programme is being supported by the African Development Bank (AfDB) and is expected to conclude in June 2030.

Constructed in 2008, the Nzove 1 WTP’s rehabilitation is set to restore the facility to its design capacity of 40,000 cm/d from the current 13,000 cm/d, supplying water to an additional 227,000 people. The plant is part of the Nzove water treatment complex along with the Nzove 2 and 3 WTPs, with a combined production capacity of  97,310 cm/d.

Top photo: Nzove-Ntora water transmission pipeline (Source: Embassy of Japan in Rwanda)