On the vast land of Zambia, the problem of water shortage had long restricted the improvement of people's livelihood and economic development. Now, a "life project" that carries the hope of drinking water for millions of people has brought new vitality and vigor to this land. The successful first flow-through of the dam of the Zambia Kafratha Water Supply System Project, constructed by PowerChina, marks that the project has officially entered the operation stage and has become another model of China-Zambia cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative.
The Kafratha Water Supply Project is located in the Copperbelt Province of Zambia. As the largest comprehensive water conservancy hub project in the country in recent years, it has extraordinary strategic significance. The project is undertaken by the First Hydroelectric Engineering Bureau under PowerChina. The catchment area at the dam site is 2,489 square kilometers, the normal water storage level is 1,178 meters, the total storage capacity is 117 million cubic meters, and the designed annual water supply is over 100 million cubic meters, which can be regarded as a giant "water tower".
During the construction process, the Kafratha Dam encountered unprecedented challenges. Due to the rare geological conditions of ferromanganese concretion in the local area, the stratum has extremely high hardness and complex structure. The traditional trenching process is not only inefficient but also leads to a significant increase in costs. In the face of this problem, the construction team of PowerChina demonstrated excellent innovation capabilities and technical strength. They innovatively adopted the "composite process of rotary drilling rig and percussion drill" and combined it with digital geological modeling technology to conduct precise analysis and simulation of the geological structure. They successfully increased the trenching efficiency by 40% and effectively solved the problem of leakage control. In addition, the project introduced an advanced monitoring and water conservancy management system. By collecting real-time data on dam stress, water level changes, and watershed hydrology, it has built a solid safety line for the dam's flow-through and subsequent operation.
As a flagship project under the Belt and Road Initiative, the Kafratha Water Supply Project is not only an infrastructure construction project but also a bridge for promoting cultural exchanges and technical sharing. The project has always adhered to the concept of "constructing one project and cultivating a group of talents". During the peak construction period, the proportion of local employees reached as high as 83%. The construction party also opened diversified training courses such as welding, surveying, and mechanical equipment operation at the project site, and has trained more than 800 technical workers in total. These local workers who have mastered professional skills will become an important force driving the construction and development of Zambia in the future.
With the completion of the project, the long-standing problem of drinking water shortage that has plagued about one million residents in cities such as Ndola, Luanshya, and Masaiti will be completely solved. The clean and stable water supply will not only significantly improve the water quality but also inject new impetus into regional agricultural irrigation and industrial production, effectively driving local economic development. The "water of life" will truly become the "source of vitality" for Zambia's development and will write a new wonderful chapter in the friendship between China and Zambia. (This article is from the official website of Seetao.com, www.seetao.com. No reprinting is allowed without permission. Otherwise, legal liability will be pursued. If reprinting, please indicate Seetao.com + the original text link.) Editor of the Strategic Column of Seetao.com / Yin Shiqian
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