The first two dams built under Angola’s programme to combat the effects of drought in the country’s south have been completed and are set to be inaugurated on Friday, 4 September, in Cunene province, as thousands of people continue to face acute water shortages and cross into neighbouring Namibia.
Angolan President João Lourenço is expected to travel to the municipality of Cuvelai to inaugurate the Calucuve and Ndúe dams — two of the five projects planned under the Programme to Combat the Effects of Drought in Southern Angola (PCESSA), according to the Angolan press.
The two structures are designed to supply water to local communities, support agricultural irrigation and assist livestock activities. They join the Cafu canal, which is already operational.
According to the Angop news agency, the dams are located in the commune of Mukolongondjo and form part of a set of structural projects aimed at reducing the impact of drought across the country’s southern region.
The Ndúe dam is expected to benefit approximately 55,000 inhabitants and 60,000 head of cattle in its first phase. The infrastructure will have a storage capacity of 170 million cubic metres of water and will include a 75-kilometre feeder canal. The Calucuve dam, meanwhile, is projected to serve around 80,000 inhabitants and nearly 200,000 head of cattle, with a storage capacity of 141 million cubic metres.
The inauguration of the two dams comes nearly five years after construction began and is being presented as one of the Angolan government’s key responses to the water scarcity crisis gripping the south of the country.
The lack of water for human consumption and economic activity has particularly affected the provinces of Cunene, Huíla, and Namibe, prompting thousands of Angolans to cross the border into Namibia in search of water, food, employment, and other essential services.
According to the most recent Amnesty International report, released on Tuesday, the recurrent droughts in southern Angola have been exacerbated by the El Niño climate phenomenon and have hit hardest those communities dependent on agriculture and livestock. The organisation states that, combined with long-standing structural vulnerabilities, these conditions have undermined traditional herding and farming systems, eroded community resilience, and contributed to rising migration into Namibia.
Many of the displaced families, Amnesty International reports, are living in makeshift shelters built from branches, plastic, and cardboard, in overcrowded conditions and without adequate access to basic services, including healthcare. The organisation also criticises Namibian authorities for failing to guarantee displaced persons access to basic rights such as registration and documentation, and Angolan authorities for not establishing sufficient mechanisms to protect drought-affected populations.
Amnesty International’s Regional Director for East and Southern Africa, Tigere Chagutah, said the situation goes beyond a humanitarian concern and represents a human rights crisis demanding international solidarity and legal protection for those affected.
Source: Diário Económico
Original article: https://www.diarioeconomico.co.mz/2026/09/04/mundo/angola/angola-governo-vai-inaugurar-duas-barragens-para-reforcar-abastecimento-de-agua-no-cunene/
