Mozambique: International NGOs launch conservation project
O País
Mozambican Prime Minister Carlos Agostinho do Rosario on Monday inaugurated the Chiveve river drainage system in the heart of the central port city of Beira.
The system, financed by the German government and built by the China Hinan International Cooperation Group (CHICO), consists of reopening the Chiveve channel, and building spillways and storm water retention basins with the capacity to hold 250,000 cubic metres of water. The project also includes an engine room to control the entrance of sea water into the Chiveve.
This drainage system is intended to control the cyclical problem of flooding in Beira. Part of the city is below sea level, and its very existence is threatened by the sea level rises caused by climate change.
According to the director of climate change projects in the Ministry of Public Works, Paulo Oscar, the reopening of the Chiveve channel will mean that when heavy rains coincide with high tides, they will no longer have a negative impact on the citizens of Beira. Instead of spreading out across the streets of Beira, the storm waters will be channeled into the two retention basins.
Addressing the inauguration ceremony, Rosario said “we all remember the drama Beira went through every time it rained. The scale of the problem and its negative impact ensured that solving it was a top government priority”.
The Chiveve system “opens a new page in solving Beira’s drainage and sanitation problems”, he added. “The money that was allocated to protecting and rehabilitating infrastructures after every rainy season can now be channeled to other development priorities”.
Rosario pledged that the government will follow up this inauguration with further projects to improve Beira’s resilience to climate change. This will include 9.5 kilometres of primary canals, complementary structures to control storm waters, and another retention basin in Maraza with the capacity to hold 150,000 cubic metres.
The Prime Minister called on Beira residents to keep the drainage system working properly, particularly by avoiding dumping rubbish in the drainage channels. If garbage clogs up the channels, he warned, that “will annul all the positive impacts we expect”.
The Mayor of Beira, Daviz Simango, said “without the Chiveve, Beira would be a different Beira. We are overjoyed to see the water flow in its natural course. This will demonstrate a healthy relationship between the city and the sea”.
Simango added that the rebirth of what he called “the lungs of Beira” was due to “the vision, daring and determination of the people of Beira, who have been seeking resources since 2008 to make this possible”.
There has been a dispute over whether this is a municipal or a central government project. Beira Municipal Council claims that it handled the negotiations for funding with the German government.
In his speech, the German ambassador Detlev Wolter did not take sides in this dispute, but said the rehabilitation of the Chiveve system belongs to everyone, mentioning both the government and the municipality.
“This job is thanks to the public authorities of the country at all levels, who examined and accepted the proposal”, he said. He hoped that this approach to water resource management and climate change “will inspire other places in Mozambique and the world”.
Although both Rosario and Simango behaved in a tolerant and polite manner, the same could not be said for their supporters. According to the report in the independent newssheet “Mediafax”, rowdy groups from the ruling Frelimo Party and the opposition Mozambique Democratic Movement (MDM), the party headed by Simango, turned up, shouting at each other, and making it difficult to hear the official speeches.
The Frelimo supporters booed Simango, while the MDM group sang songs praising their leader, and declared “Don’t weep, Daviz, this project is yours!” The police did not intervene.
The next steps are to provide good quality services, a new market, restaurants, kiosks, and public washrooms along the banks of the Chiveve, ensuring a pleasant environment for local residents and tourists alike.
Leave a Reply
Be the First to Comment!
You must be logged in to post a comment.
You must be logged in to post a comment.