JAPAN on Wednesday handed over the $150 million water supply improvement project for Honiara and Auki to Solomon Water.
The project provided:
- Four borefields: Tasahe, Titinge, Skyline and Borderline – each fed by 4 boreholes.
- Four high lift pumping stations
- Six treated water storage reservoirs (at Tasahe, Titinge, Skyline, Borderline, Panatina and West Kola’a)
- A turbidity removal plant at Kombito
- 32km of transmission pipeline of various diameters.
- Three boreholes in Auki.
Mr Kimiya thanked all those who were involved in the project for their contributions, which he said resulted in its successful completion.
The new sources provided by this project have been operating since February in both Honiara and Auki.
However, Solomon Water has had to stop and start operation to do technical adjustments and some remedial works since then.
Mr Kimiya said some Honiara residents have informed him they have not been provided with water supply for a long time, but now they have water in their homes.
The water supply improvement project was designed to secure safe and stable water to the residents of Honiara and Auki.
Since the start of work in 2010, the project encountered challenges and difficulties on the way.
According to Resident Representative of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Taiji Usui, construction work was forced to postpone several times due to issues such as the Kongulai water source and destruction at the construction depot at Henderson.
“But project members have overcome these issues and today we celebrate the handing over,” Mr Usui said.
