Neckartal Dam finally complete

AGRICULTURE minister Alpheus !Naruseb yesterday said the Neckartal Dam is complete, and that it will be capturing water from the next rainy season.

!Naruseb made this statement at the official handover of the rural water supply and sanitation functions to the regional councils.

The Namibia Press Agency earlier this month reported that the minister said Salini Impregilo – the Italian company which won the N$2,8 billion tender to build the dam – informed him that the dam was 95% complete at that time.

The dam project has been marred with controversy even before its construction started in 2013.

The dam was expected to cost government N$5,7 billion upon completion. The minister did not say whether this was the final cost of the dam. earlier in August quoted the project manager from the company as saying the civil structure works on the dam were completed in that month, and that rehabilitation and minor touch-up works be completed by the end of 2018.

The Namibian also reported that the consulting engineer on the project, Elvin Pesch, estimated the official handover of the dam to government to take place in February 2019, but the minister did not confirm this date yesterday.

The Italian company in the past said the dam is expected to take two years to fill up its reservoir, based on an estimated average run-off of 500 million cubic metres of water during rainy seasons.

The company in the past also said the dam stands to become the largest water storage dam in the country, three times the size of the Hardap Dam near Mariental.