Local pumps manufacturer Brehnor Pumps has been contracted to supply axial flow pumps for a bulkwater application at the Chiansi Irrigation Infrastructure project, in Zambia.

The project is situated on the Kafue river, 45 km from Lusaka.

Of the 2ℓ new pumps supplied, 12 are 600 nominal bore handling up to 700 ℓ/s, seven 400 nominal bore handling up to 425 ℓ/s and three are 250 nominal bore horizontal split case pumps pumping 230 ℓ/s.

The pumps will extract the raw water from the Kafue river into a series of four canals, where the water is lifted to almost 20 m above the river over 6.6 km. A series of booster stations will transfer water through steel pipelines and further gravity canals.

Brehnor Pumps GM Richard Rudling explains that the pumps – with a total installed power of 2 232 kW when all of them are in full operation – will be powered by the State electrical grid.

Although the pumps are designed to run 24/7, allowance has been made for several hours of downtime a day in case of load-shedding, unplanned power failures or other maintenance requirements.

“Our axial flow pump design has internal flow characteristics, which provide for great longevity of the machine holistically. Many of these pumps were installed in the 1960s and are still operating currently. They are very low maintenance and should require no spare parts in the first three years of operation,” says Brehnor Pumps technical director Greg Peake.

The expansion project extends the initial Chanyanya pilot project by a further 1 900 ha of irrigated land, which includes 124 ha of small-scale pivots, 154 ha of small-scale market gardens and 1501 ha of commercial-centre pivot irrigation, as well as 100 ha for commercial offtakers.

Rudling says Brehnor Pumps also supplied several pumps for the Chanyanya project.

There are 21 000 people in the catchment area who will benefit from the available water. Up to 50% of the bulk water harvested is reserved for smallholder farmers.

The water is ultimately conveyed over 15.7 km, with an elevation change of 70 m and offtakers along the way.

The products grown will include wheat, barley and soya, with double cropping under the centre pivots.

Total project investment, including the initial Chanyanya project, is about $26-million.

“The decision to use Brehnor Pumps for the contract was based on historical successful use of the product, combined with excellent technical backup and support,” says Brehnor Pumps MD Wayne Whiting, who stresses the importance of personal service and availability for clients.

The project is a public–private partnership with the Zambian government, with funding from humanitarian State-owned entity UK Aid and the Netherlands government.

Implementation of the project is through investment company Raro Investments, while consulting engineering firm Africa Infrastructure Consultants is handling the conceptual design and engineering.

The pumps were delivered by road last month in one consignment using four superlink trucks.

The project will be completed and fully commissioned by May 2020.