Mekorot to develop Ugandan water infrastructures

The project will ultimately build 11 dams and reservoirs to supply water to two million residents in Uganda's northeast Karamoja district.

17 April 11 11:18, Amiram Barkat

Mekorot National Water Company will develop Uganda's water infrastructures under an agreement signed with the government owned National Water and Sewerage Corporation. Mekorot contracting subsidiary Mekorot Development and Initiatives Ltd. will carry out the work.

Mekorot chairman Alex Wiznitzer told "Globes" that the operations in Uganda had great economic and political importance, and that they could serve as a future base for expanding Mekorot's activity to other countries in Africa.

Mekorot Development will first build projects in Karamoja district in Uganda's arid northeast. The Ugandan government will provide tens of millions of dollars in financing for the projects. A team of Mekorot experts toured the region last month, and found four sites suitable for dams and floodwater catchment basins. The project will ultimately build 11 dams and reservoirs to supply water to two million residents. The work will be carried out by local contractors, under Mekorot's planning, management, and supervision.

Wiznitzer said, "Mekorot has a lot to offer from its experience to save countries' whose water systems are in catastrophic condition." He added that the operations in Uganda could promote bilateral relations. "Infrastructures can be a bridge to peace, especially when talking about a critical resource like water. We're currently focusing on developing a network of relationships, and it's premature to talk about the total amount of financial investment, but it's a start."

Mekorot Development officials told "Globes" that Uganda also needs sewage treatment plants. Sewage from the capital, Kampala, currently pours directly into Lake Victoria.

Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on April 17, 2011

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