Ondjiva - The President of the Republic, João Lourenço, on Sunday learned about the progress of the construction work of the Ndue dam, one of the structuring projects to combat drought in the province of Cunene.
The project, located in the municipality of Cuvelai, 250 kilometres northwest of the city of Ondjiva, has a physical execution level of 74.5% and a financial level of 74.1%.
ANGOP found that, currently, the work is in the final phase of the diversion and surface discharge gallery, the embankment of the body of the dam up to the recommended height, as well as the execution of the structure of the water intake and the flood spillway.
The test of the water reserve has already been carried out, through the creation of the upstream enclosure and will be followed by small finishes connected to the access roads and a test to verify the infiltration, for subsequent installation of mechanical equipment, monitoring of the dam and the electrical part.
The project is being implemented in the Cuando River, Cuvelai basin, and foresees a reservoir of 2000 hectares to store 170 million cubic meters of water.
Ndue is an earthen dam 26 meters high and 1500 meters long, with a network of adductors over a length of 75 kilometers to the town of Embudo, municipality of Cuanhama, and 15 more chimpacas.
When completed, the project, which started in March 2022, will benefit around 55 thousand families, who live along the canal, and 60 thousand animals, with the guarantee of direct employment to a total of 897 people, of which 772 are nationals and 125 are expatriates.
With an execution period of 30 months, the project cost about 192 million US dollars.
Also in Cunene, the Calucuve dam, also located in the Cuvelai river basin, is under construction, at 44% completion.
Budgeted at US$177 million with an execution period of 20 months, Calucuve is an earthen dam, 19 meters high and is associated with a network of canals, with a length of 111 kilometers and another 44 chimpacas.
The projects and two more canals complete the set of structuring works to combat the drought, which began with the transfer of water from the Cafu region to the area of Ondombodola and Namacunde.
In addition to these projects, there are others underway on the right bank of the Cunene River, namely the Cova do Leão dam, in the municipality of Cahama, to benefit the communes of Octchijau, Cahama and some localities in the municipality of Curoca.
Consigned in July 2022, the so-called Cunene 8 project will have an estimated useful volume of 25.2 million cubic meters, 17 meters high of the dam, four meters wide at the crest and 844 meters long.
It includes the construction of a 98-kilometre pipeline to benefit the populations of the municipalities of Cahama and Curoca, among the most affected by the drought.
The Cunene 8 program plans to supply about 240,000 people and more than 30,000 head of cattle, as well as 17,000 household connections, more than 250 fountains, irrigation of an area of approximately 75 hectares and guarantee more than 1,400 direct jobs.
The project is funded by GEMCORP, in the amount of US$284.41 million, which is being carried out by the Office for the Administration of the Cunene, Cubango and Cuvelai River Basins (GABHIC).
It also includes a set of actions, from the construction of a dam on the Caculuvale River, in the locality of Cova do Leão, in the municipal seat of Cahama, to which the water supply system to the communes of Cahama (Sede) and Ochinjau will be associated.
It also provides for the rehabilitation of 13 boreholes and nine dams and the execution of a water supply system to Oncócua (municipal headquarters of Curoca), based on the use of existing artesian boreholes, as well as the execution of new underground catchments.
This is the second visit to João Lourenço's project, the first of which took place in August 2023. FI/FA/LHE/ART/DOJ
