Korea to finance studies to upgrade water supply systems in Mozambique

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Korea to finance studies to upgrade water supply systems in Mozambique

7:02 CAT | 08 Aug 2017

Fipag (File photo)

Mozambique and Korea on Monday signed a cooperation agreement under which Seoul will disburse 700,000 US dollars to finance research to upgrade the existing water supply system for the town of Xai-Xai, capital of the southern province of Gaza.

Pedro Paulino, General Manager of Water Supply Investment and Assets Fund (FIPAG) and Nam Kwang Hee President of the Korea Environmental Industry and Technology Institute (KEITI) signed the agreement.

Under the accord the funds will also be used to finance feasibility studies for the towns of Nampula and Lichinga, which are the capitals of the northern provinces of Nampula and Niassa, respectively.

The funds will be used to finance water demand studies; qualitative and quantitative research of water resources; social and environmental impact assessment; identification of alternatives, financial and economic analysis; and a Master Plan for the next 20 years.

Feasibility studies for Lichinga and Nampula will essentially update research carried out in 2008 and 2011, design technical alternatives seeking to improve the existing water supply systems.

“It is our belief that this investment, with the support of the Republic of Korea, will contribute for the identification of the necessary interventions to increase the number of water supply infrastructures in order to meet the demand”, said the head of Planning and Cooperation Directorate in the Ministry of Public Works, Housing and Water Resources, Umberto Gueuze.

Demand for water supply will be calculated based on some indicators such as current consumption, population growth forecasts, economic development and water resources, as well as alternatives for the next 20 years.

The results of these studies will be used to plan and mobilize investments funds for the expansion of water supply systems, including infrastructures for water abstraction, transport, storage and distribution.

Data provided by FIPAG show that over 139,000 people in Xai-Xai have access to potable water, from a population of 235,000, which means about 60 per cent coverage.

The coverage for the town of Nampula is estimated at 50 per cent for a population of 627,000 inhabitants, while in Lichinga coverage is about 21 per cent for 209,000 inhabitants.

Source: AIM