A total of US$ 47 million is the amount to be disbursed by the African Development Bank (ADB) to finance projects to mitigate the effects of climate change in ten districts of the provinces of Inhambane, Gaza and Maputo.
The initiative is part of the Climate, Financial and Resilience Insurance Project being executed by the National Institute for Disaster Risk Management and Reduction (INGD).
In fact, it was launched last week, in the village of Mavume, Panda district, Inhambane province, the program for the construction of infrastructures for the retention of water for human consumption, watering of animals, irrigation of agricultural fields and sanitation of the environment.
Twenty multifunctional water supply systems will be built in semi-arid areas. The program also includes initiatives in the areas of agro-processing, training, and technology transfer.
In total, about 500,000 people living in the arid and semi-arid areas of the districts of Moamba, Marracuane and Magude, in the province of Maputo, Guijá, Massangena, Chicualacuala and Mapai, in Gaza, Panda, Funhalouro and Mabote, in Inhambane, will benefit.
In this context, it is expected that about 375 thousand cubic meters of water will be collected annually in 15 excavated reservoirs with a capacity of 25 thousand cubic meters each, in the ten districts covered.
Speaking at the launch, the president of INGD, Luísa Meque, quoted by Domingo, called for greater responsibility throughout the planning and implementation chain, as well as better communication between the parties involved. She explained that this is a relevant project in mitigating the impact of climate change, whose effects are felt through the shortage of rain, with the negative result of low yields in agricultural fields.
In his turn, the administrator of Marracuene, Shafee Sidat, said that in the territory under his management four projects were approved and he believes that at the end of their execution there will be significant changes in the economic map of the district. Sidat spoke of the construction of infrastructures such as ten kilometers of road between the Albasine neighborhood and the Cardinal Dom Alexandre avenue, in Maputo city, which is improving the flow of agricultural products and the fluidity of road traffic.
He added that with the funds received, the district of Marracuene will build one of the biggest agricultural markets in Maputo province, which will galvanize the commercialization of surpluses. He noted that the Climate, Financial and Resilience Insurance Project will allow the rehabilitation of infrastructure in the lower reaches of the Incomati River, increasing the production of vegetables in the green environment of Marracuene district.
In turn, the administrator of Mabote, Carlos Mussanhane, said that the initiative will improve the resilience of the communities in the face of natural disasters characterized by cyclical droughts that negatively influence agricultural production.
“With this funding we are going to build four multifunctional water supply systems that will include the supply of water to the population, a branch for the irrigation of home gardens, sleeves for watering livestock and community laundry,” said Mussanhane.
Mabote, according to the district administrator, intends to reactivate the Multiple Use Resource Center to provide training for communities to practice conservation agriculture with a focus on commercialization and crop processing, in addition to boosting associativism.
Meanwhile, the administrator of the district of Massangena, Sancho Umbane, mentioned that the program will leverage the implementation of infrastructure to mitigate the impact of climate change, through the construction of water supply systems.
“INGD is to be congratulated for securing funds for this challenge of transforming arid and semi-arid areas into production sites. We will take better advantage of this initiative for Massangena to improve the provision of infrastructure to practice agriculture,” he said.
