Responding to water stress in Maputo

The Greater Maputo region experienced a persistent drought in 2015, the direct impact of which was a drop in the level of the Umbeluzi reservoir, the main source of water supply for the Mozambican capital. To cope with this water shortage situation, and pending the commissioning of a new drinking water treatment plant supplied from another reservoir, FIPAG has implemented an emergency program based on tapping Greater Maputo's groundwater and reducing losses in the network.

AFD's contribution to this investment program includes the mobilization and distribution of groundwater, through the equipping of 26 boreholes allowing the abstraction of a daily volume of 13,500 m3, as well as the laying of pipes and the construction of a pumping station.

In the short term, the drinking water production capacity financed by the project will alleviate the water shortage experienced by the Maputo metropolis and improve the quality of the drinking water service provided to the population. In the longer term, these additional capacities will make the region more resilient to climate change, by diversifying its sources of supply.