Mozambique: Water restrictions announced for Nampula

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Mozambique: Water restrictions announced for Nampula

4:25 CAT | 13 Oct 2020

File photo: O País

The Mozambican government’s Water Supply Investment and Assets Fund (FIPAG) on Tuesday announced restrictions in water supply to Nampula, the country’s second largest city (after the Maputo-Matola connurbation), because of the low level of water in the local dam, on the Monapo river.

The director of the FIPAG Nampula operational area, Inacio Nhazombe, told reporters that each residential area of the city will receive water only one day out of two, and for nine hours rather than 13 hours a day.

He said FIPAG has identified critical parts of the city, such as the neighbourhoods of Mutahuanha (where there have been repeated cholera outbreaks), Marrere and Muhaivire-Expansao, which will merit special attention. Hospitals, barracks, prisons and secondary schools will also be regarded as priority establishments for water supply.

“We shall reduce our maximum daily production from 40,000 cubic metres to about half that – 20 to 22,000 cubic metres”, said Nhazombe. “But with this amount it is possible to guarantee water supply to Nampula city. Obviously it won’t be the same as what we have been doing from January until now”.

He promised that FIPAG will distribute detailed plans “so that everybody will know when there will be water in his or her neighbourhood”.

Nhazombe said that other actions are under way to boost water supply to the city by about 20 per cent. These include the use of tanker trucks, and strengthening the wellfields in Namiteca, Muatala and Quinta de Galo neighbourhoods.

“Right now we have a wellfield in Namiteca to supply 70,000 people”, he said, “plus the project in Muatala for a further 12,000, and also the private reservoir in Natiquiri. With these points all functioning plus the Monapo dam our supply capacity will increase by 20 per cent”.

Nhazombe thought there was “no reason for alarm” even though water supply would not be simultaneous across the entire city.

Source: AIM