Chinese firm quenches thirst in arid Kenya

China Communications Construction Company, the Chinese company constructing Kenya's Standard Gauge Railway, plans to put up two 800 cubic meter tanks to store underground water discovered during the construction of the 4.5 kilometer railway.

The two storage tanks and a sedimentation tank are to be built on a half-acre piece of land donated by a local resident. They are expected to benefit more than 5,000 residents of Kajiado West Constituency, about a half hour's drive from downtown Nairobi.

The project, expected to be completed in three months, will then be handed over to the local government. "We are hopeful that the Kimuka Water Project will have the capacity to pump 1.6 million liters per hour, address water shortage challenges in this area, which is semi-arid, and boost access to clean water from the current 35 percent to more than 60 percent by 2022," said Joseph Ole Lenku, the governor of Kajiado county.

He was buoyant about CCCC's quality and efficiency, saying he hopes the water will benefit more people and transform their lives.

Speaking during the groundbreaking ceremony for the project at the exit of the tunnel, the deputy general manager of CCCC Kenya, Guo Qing, said his company is committed to investing in community development in areas affected by the SGR project. "Since most of our branch offices are in remote rural areas with underdeveloped infrastructure," he said, "we have built bridges, repaired roads, built and restored school buildings and doing our utmost to build cohesion with the locals."

He further emphasized that as the project progresses, the firm looks forward to joining local governments and the national government in promoting sustainable economic development, creating social benefits and safeguarding against environmental degradation under the Belt and Road Initiative.

The Chinese company and the local government have signed a memorandum of understanding on the implementation of the project.

SGR phase 2A is expected to be completed by June 2019.