Baifikrom

Drinking Water

Baifikrom Water Works and Supply

Being in Ghana for the execution of the Winneba Treatment and Supply project once a day August 2000 the ten o’clock evening news brought the news in Baifikrom the Water Head Works was closed down due to a collapsed water reservoir which was recently build and commissioned by Ghana Water Company Ltd. (GWCL).
 

Next day investigation learned that the Baifikrom Water Works was too old with an insufficient capacity and an about 100% network out of order. The works needed urgent to be rehabilitated and expanded but financing facilities were not available. Spaans Babcock offered to replace the existing plant and develop a complete new water works with financing from The Netherlands, 50% granted by The Netherlands government and 50% as a commercial loan. This was accepted where after the project development started.

Baifikrom is a small village close to Mankessim, a big town (population approx. 50,000) between Winneba and Cape Coast in the Central Region of Ghana.

Spaans invited the specialised consultant & engineering company Witteveen+Bos (W+B) from the Netherlands to develop a technological concept with preliminary design which basically has been the guide for the plant commissioned end 2008.

 

The Case

Spaans started in August 2000, in cooperation with W+B, the development and detail engineering of the new Baifikrom Water Works with a Fact Finding Mission. After a period of discussions and various offers the order was received March 2006. The project planning was 30 months plus 2 months for mobilisation. Realisation and commissioning finished in November 2008.

 

The scope of works on headlines

Raw water is sourced from Ochi Amissa river. A dam has been constructed in the river and the abstracted raw water is boosted to the Mankessim Irrigation Reservoir. From this reservoir the water flows by gravity to the water works. Here it’s lifted up and by gravity it flows through the whole treatment plant. Wash water from the rapid sand filtration and sludge is collected in ponds. Sludge, being one of the residuals, is re-used as fertilizer for growing potatoes.

From the clear water reservoir the water will be boosted into 90 km network with a number of over headed reservoirs and booster pumping stations.

One year maintenance, technical assistance and two year monitoring for unaccounted water is included.

The plant was officially opened in 2009 by the president of Ghana, Mr John Agykum Kufuor.