(Seychelles News Agency) - Works on a project to expand the sewage system in Seychelles will be tendered out to different contractors so that they can be done simultaneously, said an official of the Public Utilities Corporation (PUC).

Michel Bristol, the director of project management at PUC, told SNA recently that with several delays in the Neptune project which started in 2013, the aim now is to save time.

"This is the final phase of project Neptune which began a few years back, but due to the contractor running into some financial difficulties, the project was stopped in January 2020. We managed to recuperate the whole sum that we had paid the contractor but then got further delayed with the COVID-19 pandemic," said Bristol.

Works will soon be tendered out and will start as of next year for the project through which new pipes will be laid and refurbishment works done on two sewage pumps station as well as the sewage treatment plant. There will also be laying of new pipes stretching from the pump station near Airtel's former offices at Providence, up to the Providence sewage treatment plant.

The project is being funded by the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the Agence Française de Développement (AFD).

Project Neptune represents the first European Investment Bank-supported water project in Africa that specifically focuses on reducing the threat of, and ensuring long-term preparation for, climate change.

The initiative seeks to mitigate the risk of water rationing that could pose a serious threat to economic activity and quality of life in Seychelles and better manage wastewater to avoid health risks and water contamination.

Bristol told SNA the ongoing works are not expected to affect the public and daily operations but is nevertheless asking the public cooperation.

"When we do these types of work, it is for the benefit of the public and PUC wishes to have the full understanding of the public, especially where works affect the movement of traffic or cause other issues," he said.

The pipes being laid now have a lifespan of up to approximately 20 years, depending on various factors and the works are expected to be complete by the end of 2023.

Meanwhile, Seychelles has an Integrated and Comprehensive Sanitation Master Plan which seeks to connect every household and business to a sewage system to better manage the wastewater that can be used for industrial and irrigation purposes.

There are currently four treatment plants in Seychelles, an archipelago in the western Indian Ocean, and almost 6,000 households and businesses are connected.