Cuvelai – The municipal administrator of Cuvelai, Germano Nambalo, highlighted, on Thursday, the importance of the Ndué and Calucuve dams for the communities, especially in reestablishing access to water for populations and livestock, in the province of Cunene.
According to the official, the projects under construction in the municipality of Cuvelai and its associated channels constitute a relief and will reduce the scarcity of the precious liquid and provide conditions that can strengthen agriculture, guarantee food security, as well as boost tourist activities and restoration of public equipment.
He said that animal husbandry will be intensified, as the region has good pasture, and also pointed out, as a benefit, employability, highlighting that more than 500 local young people have obtained their first job, although temporary, which is allowing them to support their families.
The municipality has four rivers, two of which have permanent flow (Cunene and Cuvago) and the same number are intermittent (Calunga and Cuvelai), where dams are being built, whose quantity of water stored is quite high.
He added that the project foresees the re-profiling of the Cuvelai River, which will prevent flooding in the rainy season and guarantee its permanent flow.
On the other hand, the administrator spoke of the fertile soil adaptable to any type of agricultural culture existing in the region and considered Cuvelai the province's breadbasket, noting that the municipality produces large quantities of cereals.
Informed that 80% of the cereal produced in this location supplies other municipalities in the province and areas of the neighboring Republic of Namibia, with the aim of increasing production areas.
The administrator, who recognized the Government's work regarding the drought phenomenon in the province, said a subdivision process is underway so that local communities and investors have land available.
The construction of the Ndue and Calucuve dams is part of the Program to Combat the Effects of Drought in Southern Angola (PCESSA), with a view to reducing water scarcity in the Cuvelai basin.
The Ndué dam, located on the Caundo river, has 9,200 hectares of irrigated area, a reservoir of 2000 hectares, to store 170 million cubic meters of water, 23.50 meters high and 1500 meters long, expected to benefit around 55 and 60 thousand families and animals, respectively.
In turn, the Calucuve dam, on the Cuvelai river, has an irrigated area of 2,600 hectares, with a reservoir of 141 cubic meters, 29.80 meters high and 2,270 meters long, with physical execution at around 75%. It will have a raceway with 40 water wells.
The infrastructure will meet the needs of more than 80 thousand people and serve approximately 182 thousand head of cattle. FI/LHE/DOJ
