Italian company says Neckartal Dam on schedule

The Italian company Salini Impregilo, responsible for the construction of the Neckartal Dam, has reassured Namibians that the project is still on schedule. Located on the Fish River in the //Karas Region, the dam project is the first phase of the Neckartal Irrigation Scheme. The reassurance from the company follows a recent protest by the Hendrik Tseib Community Liaison Committee (HTCLC), which prevented 600 employees of Salini Namibia from reporting for duty by blocking the entrance to the construction site. Asked to give an update about the progress made so far, the company told Namibian Sun that the project is still on schedule. According to the company work has progressed uninterrupted despite the one-day protest. “It is still in the early stages of the project. The company sees no reason why it should not complete the project on schedule.” The company said it recognises the importance of the dam for the region and that it wants to work with the government and the local community to complete the project on schedule. According to the company’s website the dam wall will be made from roller-compacted concrete (RCC) and will stand at around 80 metres high. The Neckartal Dam will harness water from the Fish River to produce energy and to create a reservoir capable of holding 857 million cubic metres of water, which will be used to irrigate 5 000 hectares of land. A pumping station will be built 13 km downstream from the dam. The water will flow through an 8.7km steel pipe with a diameter of 1.1 metres to reach a reservoir that is also part of the project. Most of the 520 workers involved in the project are Namibians. About 57% are from the //Karas Region and the other 34% from other parts of the country. WINDHOEK ELLANIE SMIT