Maputo — The Mozambican government has launched a tender for supervising the construction of 310 boreholes in five districts in the northern province of Nampula.

The work will be financed through a loan to the government by the African Development Bank (ADB), and will be carried out over a twelve month period.

There will be 75 boreholes equipped with hand pumps in Erati district, 50 in Mogovolas district, 35 in Moma district, 75 in Memba district and 75 in Nampula district.

The project is being carried out as part of the government's National Water and Rural Sanitation Programme (PRONASAR), which aims to ensure that 70 per cent of the population has access to clean drinking water by 2015, the cut-off date for meeting the Millennium Development Goals set by the United Nations in 2000.

For the first phase (2010 to 2013) PRONASAR had a goal of constructing 5,000 new water sources, 51 small water supply systems, and 140,000 improved latrines, spread throughout the country.

In its second phase (2013 to 2015) the programme will see the construction of 7,000 new water sources, 69 small water supply systems and 260,000 improved latrines.

The deadline for companies to express an interest in the Nampula tender is 22 November.