Maputo — Private water suppliers in Maputo and the adjacent city of Matola are threatening to end supplies of water as from 19 February, and for an indefinite period, if the government's Water Supply Assets and Investment Fund (FIPAG) does not provide them with licences valid for five years.

The Association of Water Suppliers of Mozambique (AFORAMO) claims that all attempts to reach consensus with FIPAG have failed, reports Tuesday's issue of the independent newsheet "Mediafax".

AFORAMO claims that a small group of suppliers who inherited or are managing systems belonging to FIPAG have been granted licences valid for five years, and another group has been granted licences for just one year, which AFORAMO regards as illegal.

AFORAMO is demanding "non-discriminatory" licensing for five years, allocation of licences on the basis of AFORAMO's interpretation of the law, and the removal of the licenses already granted to operators running FIPAG systems.

AFORAMO chairperson Paulino Cossa boasted that if the association stops supplies, then two million consumers will be without water - a claim that is reproduced uncritically by both "Mediafax" and the Maputo daily paper "Noticias".

But two million is more than the entire population of Maputo and Matola. According to the 2007 population census the two cities have a combined population of 1.77 million people. Even throwing in the adjacent town of Marracuene will not bring the total to two million.

Furthermore the largest supplier of water in the greater Maputo area is the public sector. The public network, owned by FIPAG, but managed by the consortium Aguas de Mocambique (in which the main shareholder is the Portuguese water company, AdP), is continuing to expand (although it still only reaches a minority of the urban population).

The AFORAMO members are supplying water (mostly from private wells) to parts of the city not yet reached by the FIPAG/Aguas de Mocambique network. But the private suppliers will inevitably be squeezed out as more pipes are added to the public network.

Within two years, FIPAG expects to conclude an additional 500 kilometres of piping, which will double its water distribution capacity. New water distribution centres are being established in the outlying neighbourhoods of Tsalala, Belo horizonte and Catembe, as well as in the nearby town of Boane.