Conrad Mwanawashe Business Reporter
CONTRACTORS engaged by the Zambezi River Authority to remedy the erosion of the plunge pool on the Kariba Dam wall are expected to be on site within the next three weeks to commence the rehabilitation works.A plunge pool is defined as a deep basin excavated at the foot of a waterfall by the action of the falling water. ZRA shortlisted six companies from Asia and Europe to carry out the repair works on the plunge pool on the Kariba Dam wall from the 23 expressions of interest submitted in 2013.
“The procurement process of identifying a contractor getting the European Commission, African Development Bank, World bank and Swedish Government, you know there are four financiers, getting them to agree was always going to somewhat slow,” said ZRA chairman and secretary for Energy in the Ministry of Energy and Power Development Partson Mbiriri.
“We are not dealing with just one institution but four.“So we are kind of running behind on the projects but nonetheless come November we should have the contractor on site attending to the plunge pool.”Mr Mbiriri, however, could not divulge the identity of the contractors who have been finally appointed to carry out the rehabilitation works.
Rehabilitating the pool is estimated to cost $125 million and to be completed in about three years.The rehabilitation will also see work carried out on the dam’s floodgates one at a time.
Mr Mbiriri said the plunge pool may have been growing over time because at times ZRA would open all the six gates all the times but now is opening alternate gates when need be or just one gate so as to minimise the impact on the plunge pool.
“What has been happening is that instead of the plunge pool developing going downstream it has been developing coming towards the wall. That is where the risk has been,” said Mr Mbiriri.
The contractors are expected to drill and blast the lower part of the plunge pool to create a slope that forces the water to go down and not to swell within the plunge pool.