Mozambique: Lack of water leads to vandalism

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Mozambique: Lack of water leads to vandalism

8:26 CAT | 06 Mar 2017

While the government fails to keep its promise to supply water on alternate days, residents in neighbourhoods have diverted water pipes and others are reduced to washing clothes in drainage ditches. Yet all still receive regular bills regardless.

Despair has overcome Madalena Matusse, a resident of Malanga neighbourhood, west of Maputo. Water, which she should be getting on alternate days, has not run from her taps for more than two weeks.

So Madalena goes to the drainage ditch to wash clothes. The Mozambican government is failing to fulfill its promise to supply water every other day. “I do not stay at home, I work, but I’m here. I did not go to work because of this [searching for water].”

In Matola’s Trevo neighbourhood, Marta Matlombe organises residents to divert a water pipe that supplies other neighbourhoods: “There’s no water in our backyards, so today we decided to break into the general pipe because we have no other choice. We are living from well water and they’re selling it for five meticais a bottle.”

Mosambik Maputo Menschen füllen ihre Wasserbehälter an Quelle — Woman filling her water bottle into a fountain

In Mavalane, north of the capital, residents have had no water for more than three weeks but continue to receive invoices without adjustment.

Estevão Chiota has a four euro bill to pay. “How is the water charge coming to this if we’re not using it?” he asks. “The taps have been dry for more than three weeks, but they’ve sent invoices for more than 500 meticais.”

Water is missing, but there is no shortage of bills

Neither does Verónica Zacarias have water, but, she complains, Aguas da Região de Maputo continues to send bills. “Here we are, two months without water, but we receive invoices regularly. Mavalane does not have water: we have to go to neighbouring districts like Hulene, for example.”

Waters of the Maputo Region denies that some neighbourhoods have water 24 hours a day, with spokesman Afonso Mahumane insisting they are all rationed.

“There may be isolated cases, in which case we will intervene. If this is happening, it may be that it is an isolated area that may be receiving different rights in such a way that when it is a yes day they do in fact get it and when the day doesn’t come,” says Afonso Mahumane.

Regarding the bills, he says: “We sent verification teams, and depending on the situation adjustments are made.”

Water restrictions in Maputo, Matola and Boane are due to low levels in the Umbeluzi river, which are drastically reduced owing to the drought affecting the country this last year.

Source: Deutsche Welle