The amount needed for the rehabilitation and expansion of the Locumue reservoir in Lichinga, capital of the northern Mozambican province of Niassa, is estimated at 494 million meticais (about 7.7 million US dollars, at the current exchange rate).
Without the expansion of this reservoir, according to Emerson Chemene, Niassa director of the government’s Water Supply Investment and Assets Fund (FIPAG), quoted in Thursday’s issue of the Maputo daily “Notícias”, Lichinga may soon enter its worst ever shortage of drinking water.
A project for the rehabilitation and expansion of the reservoir, built in the 1960s, had been launched, but due to budgetary difficulties, the work was cancelled.
“Despite heavy rainfall in almost all of Niassa Province, the reservoir’s reserve level is the lowest ever”, the director said, adding that the capacity of the water supply network in the city, which used to cover almost 70,000 people, has fallen to approximately 23,000 and with severe restrictions.
In some neighbourhoods, Chemene says, there are leaks in the pipes, precipitating the change of water colour, “but gradually the leaks are being identified to be repaired.”
“Despite the onset of the rains, the level of the reservoir has dropped significantly. The accumulated garbage has increased and the most worrying thing is the level of organic matter that has accentuated, which ends up influencing the colour of the water”, Chemene said.
AIM
