Mines, Energy and Water Development Permanent Secretary in charge of Water and Energy Charity Mwansa says he is disappointed with the contractor engaged to install windmills in some schools and rural health centres in Western Province.
Ms Mwansa said most of the windmills that she inspected which were recently installed by Watsons Zambia Limited have broken down causing water shortages at the respective schools and health centres in Mongu,Nalolo and Senanga districts.
She said this during her tour of the windmill projects yesterday in Western Province to check on the performance of the windmills which were installed by her Ministry last year.
Ms Mwansa noted that what she found on the ground after inspecting the projects was contrary to the report she received from the contractor stating that the windmills were installed successfully.
Ms Mwansa said the type of windmills installed by the contractor can only operate effectively and pump water when there are strong winds.
“This is wastage of government resources because we put up these windmills so that people can have access to water but these windmills are either failing to pump water or broken down, “she complained.
She said it was saddening to find that some schools and health centres were operating without water for three months because the contractor did not do the correct job.
The visibly annoyed PS directed the contractor to ensure that they put back hand pumps at some schools and health centres that completely did not have water while the Ministry finds a lasting solution to the problem.
And Itufa Primary School Head teacher Lyambai Situmbeko complained bitterly that the installation of the windmill has not helped them in any way because the school has had no water from the time it broke down in December last year.
And Watsons Zambia Limited, Operations Manager Luke Mulenga said the company will ensure that they urgently work on the windmills that were not currently operating so that the affected schools and health centres can have water supply.
Ifintu ni Lungu….PF at work
Malabishi yeka yeka chabe
mwadya Mweka Daddy and you want us to believe this stupidity that the work was not properly done…full of tins all wanting to chew from every simple project…i concur with you…malabishi
everything in Zambia is poorly done because we have cadres in positions at the expense of qualified personell. the Chines are also doing poor jobs from roads to tombstones at the memorial park in Lusaka
What did the PS expect to see. More likely no specifications were given including the material to use. And did they know the wind in the area was good enough to turn the mill. It is one thing to have qualification on paper and another thing to perform.
i visited one school in western and found it down, i asked for the number and called these guys to do something about that water point in senanga. that was last year in october if i am not mistaken. how can this gentleman say they will work on it urgently? is october to february not snail pace. by the way, i dont for once support the windmill project. what we need is a solar pumping mechanism for zambia. they should also make sure that in case the solar or windmill breaksdown, people can still pump physically. our engineers in zambia sometimes are not doing what they were taught in school. we need to make those installations be dual operational
How are contracts awarded to firms without any track record?
Amazing !! Why would a Permanent Secretary be inspecting Wind Mills ? – Stipend . This is the work of technocrats. Where are the Engineers from Works and Supply?
A Permanent Secretary is exactly that. A technocrat. Nowadays you are appointing politicians to such professional jobs
Don’t blame the player blame the game.
This is the PF way of doing things!! No merit, everything to cadres and stealing is the order of the and yet some people are cheering ifintu ni Lungu/PF. Zambia a failed state
Breaking news, my cousin is a teacher at itufa primary school, she told me that the windmill was in working order when the contractor left it was tempered with by the school. She further informed me that the PS did not give a chance to the company representative to defend the company but allowed the people who sabotaged the installation to speak. Its a shame.
Take the contractor to court for breach! Why is it that those in authority keep on complaining? We have never heard of any so called shoddy contractor or consultant being hauled before a court of law for breach of contract, yet there is always be a provision for this in a properly constructed contract! It is all because everyone believes that there are easy pickings in construction, especially in rural areas and almost all the officials are compromised and are actually registered as contractors themselves and they award themselves contracts, process advances without the requisite securities, etc, etc….
Having tendered for the same contract and lost I have observed that the contractor had supplied and installed the windmills according to the specs in the enquiry. Who therefore is to blame? Are the engineers qualified and do they even understand the weather pattern in the province for them to recommend windmills? Please don’t blame Zambian contractors! Employ qualified engineers in government departments not copy and paste engineers. Does the PS even understand water engineering, I wonder?
Please madam PS mwansa you are the misappropriation of government resources go to ministry of justice where you belong as a lawyer, since when did windmills require strong winds to turn. I smell malice.
Infact maybe the contractor did not corrupt the ministry officials, malice indeed.
Imwe Ba LT were you also in the entourage of Pentourage if so how much were you paid? Malice indeed!!!!
I mean PS entourage