Lunga District in Luapula Province has received eight million dollars for deepening and widening of water channels under the Transforming Landscapes for Resilient and Development project (TRALARD).
Luapula Province TRALARD Project Operations Officer Titus Walima revealed that the contractor, Sun Share who have been engaged to work on the channels in Lunga are already on the site.
Mr. Walima told ZANIS that a total of 90 Kilometers of water channels will be done by the contractor and that the works are expected to finish within a year.
Mr. Walima disclosed that Sun Share has been given the contract to work on three major water channels namely: Bwalya Ponda to Nsamba, Kasoma Lunga to Nsama and Bwalya Ponda to Chisanka.
He pointed out that the procurement process for the additional two other water channels has already started and the contract will be awarded soon.
“For some time now Lunga has been experiencing floods due to blocked water channels as water is unable to flow normally but with this project in place, the problem of floods will be a thing of the past,” said Mr. Walima.
He added that three bulking centers are also being put up in Lunga district and the TRALARD project and that the contractor is also on site.
“Under this project we also want to support farmers with bulking centers where they can store their farm produce and for Lunga this is very key as the district has a lack of storage facilities,” he noted.
And Mr. Walima said that about 27 projects aimed at improving the livelihood of the people have been funded in Luanga district.
He explained that the projects under TRALARD are all aimed at improving the livelihood of the people and also to mitigate against the effects of climate change.
The Zambian Government with support from the world bank is implementing the TRALARD project in five districts of Luapula Province namely: Lunga, Samfya, Chifunabuli, Kawambwa and Nchelenge.