The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has signed a grant agreement worth 400 million Mozambican meticais ($6.3 million) for the construction of five drinking water supply systems in the Niassa province of Mozambique. The future facilities are intended to reduce water shortages in this part of Mozambique.
Mozambican authorities are securing funds to implement a new water supply project in Niassa Province. The grant agreement for 400 million Mozambican meticais ($6.3 million) was signed recently between the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Mozambican government.
The project will construct five drinking water supply systems in the Niassa province in northern Mozambique. The future facilities will be located in the districts of Mandimba, Mavago, Majune and Muembe, which are currently facing drinking water shortages. Some 61,000 people will benefit from the water supply project, which is expected to begin construction in April 2023.
The fresh water will be pumped from the groundwater table by means of pipes and then transported to reservoirs where it will be stored before being distributed to the population through standpipes.
The JICA funds will also finance the rehabilitation of water sources that are currently out of service in Niassa. “We will guarantee the delivery of all the necessary equipment to ensure the functioning of the boreholes that are currently out of service in the Mozambican province,” promises Shoichi Yokogi, JICA’s project manager.
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In addition to improving access to clean water in Niassa, the commissioning of the future water supply systems will strengthen sanitation services in this part of Mozambique, where cholera cases are on the rise. According to the Mozambican Ministry of Health, between September 2022 and March 5, 2023, the country recorded 7,237 cases and 38 deaths from cholera, mainly in Niassa.
Inès Magoum
