By MILDRED KATONGO –
THE construction of the resettlement houses for the displaced villagers in Masaiti by the Kafubu Water and Sewerage Company (KWSC) is at 50 percent with the earliest site to be ready for occupation in May this year.
The Kafulafuta water supply scheme project, which will cost US$450 million, will help reticulate water supply to three districts and create jobs for the local people.
KWSC public relations manager Fales Mwanza said there were four sites where the houses were being built and that they were almost done with the first site.
Ms Mwanza said in a response to a Press query that work was progressing well and that the approved plan for the construction of the dam would commence in April.
“We are still constructing the houses in four areas, which include Sukwa, Ellena, Kampundu and Chikabu. Fifty per cent of the work on the houses is done,” Ms Mwanza said.
“We are almost done with Ellena site and we will start with the remaining areas. The earliest site will be ready by May and by August all the houses shall be completed,” she said.
Ms Mwanza said statistics and verification for the resettlement finished recently and that the full compensation shall start from April, starting from households who lived close to the dam wall.
She said KWSC had not finished compensating the affected people as they were waiting for the full details from the evaluation department.
Ms Mwanza said the water utility company had planned to finish the compensation by the end of October this year.
She said the move was to ensure all the affected people were well relocated and compensated.
Ms Mwanza commended the traditional leaders and district commissioners in Mpongwe and Masaiti for the support rendered to the water utility company.
A total of 268 resettlement houses will be built for the affected people.