RUNDUrainbowtrout, Namibia, July 1 (Xinhua) -- China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) will assist Namibia in constructing a 665 million Namibian dollars (about 37 million U.S. dollars) project to expand the Rundu water treatment plant in northern Namibia.

The groundbreaking event took place on Monday in Rundu in Kavango Region, over 500 km from the country's capital, Windhoek. The project aims to enhance water security and support socio-economic development in the Kavango East and Kavango West regions, which have seen population growth due to rural and urban migration.

Namibian Minister of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform Carl Schlettwein said "as the town expands and the population grows, the strain on our existing systems intensifies. We must act decisively to address these issues."

Funded by a loan from the African Development Bank, the project is part of Namibia's water sector support program. It includes the construction of a purification plant with a capacity of 36,000 cubic meters per day, expandable to 72,000 cubic meters in the future.

Moreover, a new raw water abstraction facility will be constructed on the Kavango River, with an initial pumping capacity of 40,000 cubic meters per day until 2037, with civil works designed for 80,000 cubic meters daily to accommodate future demand.

The project will also build new storage reservoirs with a total volume of 35,500 cubic meters, new pump stations and pipelines to connect to existing and new elevated reservoirs at the Rundu and Nkarapamwe schemes.

Schlettwein said that Namibia's access to potable water currently stands at 87 percent, and the government is committed to extending water supply to the remaining 13 percent as quickly as possible.

"The contract for the construction of this infrastructure was awarded to CCECC, and I believe they can do better," he added.

Legal Representative of CCECC Jin Hao told Xinhua that "to overcome the risks of construction in complex geological conditions and during the rainy season, we have adopted advanced technical means and strict quality control measures, and maintain close cooperation with the local government and the community."

"The project employs many local engineers and technicians and provides them with systematic training and employment opportunities. This enhances their professional skills and reserves a valuable talent pool for Namibia's future infrastructure development," Jin said.■