Luanda - The drinking water coverage rate in the country's urban areas went from 60%, in 2017, to 72% in the first quarter of 2023, said today the President of the Republic, João Lourenço.
As for the provincial and municipal headquarters, João Lourenço stated that the production of drinking water increased from 828,000 cubic meters/day, in 2017, to 1,318,000 cubic meters/day in 2023.
The Head of the Executive Branch, who presented the Message on the State of the Nation in the solemn opening session of the 2023-2024 Parliamentary Year of the V Legislature, acknowledged that there still a deficit in water supply, which we want to reduce and ensure that more Angolans have access to the taps in their homes and, therefore, ambitious projects are underway.
The Head of State highlighted, among others, the construction of BITA's new water supply system, which initially foresees the capture of 3,000 liters of water/second, associated with an adduction system and distribution network that will benefit approximately 2.5 million inhabitants in the southern region of Luanda province.
He said that it is planned to build the new Quilonga water supply system, with an initial capacity to capture 6,000 liters of water/second, associated with an adduction system and distribution network that will benefit around 5 million inhabitants in Luanda.
“We are rehabilitating and expanding water supply systems in several provincial capitals and building new systems in several municipal and communal headquarters, particularly where there is large population growth”, he highlighted.
He reinforced that it is expected to begin, shortly, the construction of new household connections in Caxito, Ondjiva and Saurimo and expand the water distribution network in the provinces of Moxico, Namibe and Lunda Norte.
According to the President of the Republic, the drought situation in the south of the country still requires special attention, although the bleak scenario seen in the past is changing, as a result of the important investments that have been made in infrastructure.
He highlighted that at least 250,000 people and 240,000 heads of cattle have already benefited from the water that the Cafu canal has offered since April 2022 and that it stores and distributes it over a length of 165 kilometers.
According to the president, within the scope of the Program to Combat the Effects of Drought in Southern Angola, particularly in the province of Cunene, the Calucuve dam is being built, with a storage capacity of 141 million cubic meters of water and its pipeline is approximately 111 km long”.
At the same time, he continued, “we are also building the Ndúe dam with a storage capacity of 170 million cubic meters of water and its pipeline, which is around 75 km long.
He also stated that the lives of the people of Cunene will never be the same again, especially from the end of 2024, when these two major projects will be completed, if no major constraints arise.
In his opinion, the fight against drought in the south of the country also involves other projects that are expected to begin soon, namely the recovery and desilting of 43 dams in the province of Namibe, the construction of the large dams of Carujamba, Inamangando, Curoca II, Giraul, Bero and Bentiaba, also in Namibe, as well as the research project and use of groundwater in the Chela aquifer, in the city of Lubango.
HEM/PPA/CF/jmc
