DESIGNS FOR a central sewage treatment plant for the City of Kigali are 95 per cent complete, an official from the water and energy utility told The New Times last week.

Once the designs are complete, the treatment plant is set to be constructed in Nyarugenge District to support a planned central sewage network which Kigali desperately needs to manage its solid and liquid waste.

"The process to set up a central sewerage system has been moving on well, with the exception of ground investigations,” James Sano, the Deputy Director General of Energy Water and Sanitation (EWSA) said in an interview last week.

"Before we confirm routes for sewerage pipes, we must determine what is underneath the ground so that we do not hit something that may delay the project. Underground studies were supposed to be completed by the end of May but they delayed. We are certain that by the end of July they will be complete,” Sano added.

According to the Rwanda Environment Management Authority (Rema), a central sewer system is needed in Kigali to replace underground septic tanks which have for decades been receiving excreta as well as waste water from domestic use.

These septic chambers usually burst and pollute the environment once they are overwhelmed, as has been the case in several buildings around the city. A central sewerage system is, therefore, fronted as a solution, with the capability to withstand waste loads and accommodate heavy precipitation from every corner of the city.

"This is currently one of the biggest challenges for the city, but we know that government is making steps to ensure that Kigali has a central sewer. Now that everything is being constructed following a master plan, a sewerage system will be paramount, especially when you consider the growing population and economy of the capital city,” Rose Mukankomeje, the Director General of Rema said in an interview.

This project is to cost about 70 million euros (Rwf65 billion), according to EWSA.

Government is working with the European Investment Bank to mobilise resources for the implementation phase of the central sewerage system – although the time period for its inception is not yet clear.