Maputo — The Mozambican government's Water Supply Investment and Assets Fund (FIPAG) announced on Wednesday that it has embarked on large scale improvements to the Greater Maputo water system, which should mean that at least 1.5 million people will enjoy access to good quality water 24 hours a day.

The total cost of the projects, covering the cities of Maputo and Matola, and the neighbouring town of Boane, is 3.6 billion meticais (108 million US dollars) and they will mostly be carried out over a period of 18 months. The funding comes from the European Union, the European Investment Bank, the Dutch government, the French Development Agency and the Mozambican government itself under a joint financing agreement reached last October.

The largest of the projects is the rehabilitation and expansion of the water treatment station on the Umbeluzi river, which will cost 1.3 billion meticais. The work has been awarded to a consortium formed by the Portuguese companies Mota Engil and Efacec, and the Mozambican company Sogitel. The work should start at the end of this month and last for 18 months.

At the same time a new water main, 19 kilometres long, will be built, and the existing mains pipe will be rehabilitated. This contract is valued at 729.7 million meticais and has been won by the China Geo-Engineering Corporation.

A second Chinese company, China Henan International (CHICO), has won the contract to expand the existing system into new areas. This is budgeted at 459.7 million meticais and it too is to be carried out over 18 months.

The construction of 13 small water systems based on wells in peri-urban neighourhoods of Maputo and Matola is budgeted at 85 million meticais and should take six months. This contract has been awarded to Profuro International, the Mozambican subsidiary of the Italian Trevi Group.

FIPAG is also going into partnership with small scale private operators to extend three private water supply systems. The work is to be done over six months, and involves a subsidy of 600,000 meticais for the private operators

Finally a consultancy contract to draw up a Water Supply Master Plan for the Maputo Metropolitan Area has been awarded to a consortium of the Italian companies C. Lotti & Associati and SIM SpA GICO Branch. The contract is for 36 million meticais, and the deadline for the consortium to complete its work is 11 months.

The FIPAG press release on these projects notes that the government is committed to ensuring a supply of clean water to at least 70 per cent of the population by 2015.