Launched on 11 June 2024, the project to supply drinking water to the Akpakpa and Agblangandan areas from the Porto-Novo wellfields in Benin is scheduled to last 15 months, until the end of 2025. According to the Beninese Ministry of Water and Mines, this initiative will put an end to the lack of access to drinking water in the localities of Akpakpa and Agblangandan, in the towns of Sèmè-Podji and Cotonou respectively, as well as in the surrounding areas. The contract has been awarded to Sogea-Satom, a subsidiary of the French public works group Vinci.
The aim is to meet the demand for drinking water in the two target areas, with an overall capacity of 2,500 m3 per hour, or 60,000 m3 per day. At present, the structural shortfall in drinking water production is around 1,200 m3 per hour, or 28,800 m3 per day.
Just under €26 million will be needed
The future drinking water supply systems to be installed at Akpakpa and Agblangandan will pump water from the Porto-Novo lagoon via four boreholes, each equipped with electric pumps. The water will be stored in four anti-bankruptcy or stabilisation reservoirs. Sogea-Satom will build a fifth 100 m3 reservoir, which will be elevated.
The water will pass through a system of pipes with three degassing towers (to remove unwanted oxygen or carbonic acid from the water, editor’s note). The water supply systems will also be equipped with a remote management system, which has become essential because it enables the operator of the water network to monitor and manage the system remotely at all times. This will help to ensure the quality of the water delivered to the tap and the continuity of supply.
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In all, around 17 billion CFA francs (nearly 26 million euros) will be needed to carry out the various works, which should not only meet the drinking water needs of Akpakpa and Agblangandan until 2030, but also boost the efficiency of the Société nationale des eaux du Bénin (SONEB), which is responsible for collecting, transporting, treating and distributing drinking water, as well as disposing of wastewater in the West African country.
Inès Magoum