Mozambique: More than 20 schools without water in the city of Maputo due to debt – Watch

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Mozambique: More than 20 schools without water in the city of Maputo due to debt – Watch

2:15 CAT | 15 Jul 2024

Screen grab: STV

A little over 20 schools in the city of Maputo, spanning both primary and secondary, are without water due to unpaid bills. As a result, some have closed their toilets, while others are asking parents and guardians for contributions. There are even cases where school principals are bringing water from home to supply the institutions they manage.

Not even a drop of water comes from the taps; the metres are sealed. This is the scenario in some schools in the city of Maputo. And behind the debts is the drama of students spending a good part of their day without water.

The lack of water has caused some schools to close their bathrooms, forcing students to make do as best they can. Those who can, pay money for a place to satisfy their physiological needs.

At the Armando Emílio Guebuza Secondary, the toilets in the residences located inside the school grounds have helped students and teachers out.

To overcome the lack of water in schools, some school directors ask parents and guardians to contribute. It is common to see parents and guardians arriving with bottles of water to donate to the school.

In one of the schools in the country’s capital, the principal transports water from his own home in drums. Because his is only a light vehicle, he must go back and forth twice. In other schools, water comes from neighbouring institutions.

There are cases where guardians are contributing money to help the school pay off the debt, such as at the 16 de Junho Primary School.

The Education Department at Maputo City level has instructed schools not to give interviews to the press, but O País has had exclusive access and knows how much some schools owe to water facility Empresa Águas da Região de Maputo.

For example, Escola Secundária Armando Emílio Guebuza has owed more than 300,000 meticais for more than six months. The water cut-off affects nearly 3,000 students.

Eduardo Mondlane Xitlango Secondary School’s debt is just over 200,000 meticais. The money for electricity refills has been coming out of the institution’s director’s pocket since October last year.

Primary School Unidade 10 owes the Águas das Região de Maputo 133,091.4 meticais, with the water cut affecting 4,000 students; Primary School Unidade 18 has a debt of 101,017.38 meticais; the 3 de Fevereiro Primary School is without water from the public network due to a debt of 20,000 meticais; the Lhanguene Primary School has been without water for almost two months and has been unable to pay the more than 27,000 meticais of debt and Primary School Unidade 13 has more than 70,000 Meticais of unpaid water bills, and has been without power for three months.

Source: O País / STV