Last Friday, 10 May, the Ministry of Public Works, Housing and Water Resources (MOPHRH) brought together contractors, consultants, businesspeople and partners from professional and cooperation associations in the city of Beira, Sofala province, to reflect on the first phase of the rehabilitation of the 508 kilometres of National Road Number One (N1).
According to the Ministry’s press release, the meeting, led by the minister responsible, Carlos Mesquita, aimed to produce reflections on the ‘Safer Roads for Socio-Economic Integration Programme’, whose main objective is to improve connectivity, road safety and climate resilience in the areas of influence of the project, which will be implemented on the sections of the N1 to be rehabilitated.
The note explains that when opening the workshop, the minister said that the aim of the meeting was to disseminate contracts based on results and performance, as well as to publicise, above all to the national business community, the opportunities that have been opened up in the process of rehabilitating the N1.
‘The Safer Roads for Socio-Economic Integration Programme includes the rehabilitation of the most critical sections of the N1, namely the Inchope-Gorongosa-Caia and Chimuara-Nicoadala stretches, in the provinces of Sofala and Zambézia; and Pemba-Metoro, in the province of Cabo Delgado.’
Carlos Mesquita
With the workshop, as the minister pointed out, the government intends, firstly, to present contractors and consultants based in Mozambique with the potential for work and services that can be put to better use by the parties that will be involved in implementing the programme.
‘Secondly, we intend to publicise the type of contracts that will be implemented in this programme, OPRC (Output and Performance-based Road Contracts), with emphasis on aspects related to contracting procedures and, through the debates that will be held by the participants, to gather contributions that can be included in the final versions of the conceptual projects and in the tender documents for the contracts.’
Carlos Mesquita
Meanwhile, the previous day, the minister had already visited the Dingue-Dingue water collection station, the water pipeline, the Mutua Water Treatment Plant and the Estoril Distribution Centre, in the city of Beira.
On the occasion, Carlos Mesquita explained that the rehabilitation aims to increase the coverage rate from the current 62 per cent to 70 per cent, with the completion of certain works and the replacement of equipment that will allow for the expansion of water distribution in the municipalities of Dondo and Beira.
The demand for water in the two cities is around 90,000 cubic metres per day and, at the moment, production is around 50,000 cubic metres per day, and with the rehabilitation work it will be possible to reach 60,000.
‘We’re at an advanced stage of a project that will allow us to add another 15,000 cubic metres a day, which means we’ll have a daily output of 75,000. To meet demand, we need to invest in transport equipment, creating a parallel line, and increase the capacity of the treatment plants to be able to supply the 90,000 cubic metres needed.’
Carlos Mesquita
