Nacala — Repair work to the Nacala dam is 98 per cent complete and will be finished later this year. This was revealed during a visit to the construction site by Prime Minister Alberto Vaquina over the weekend.

The dam was built under Portuguese colonial rule in 1968 to supply water to the port of Nacala. Since then the population of Nacala has grown enormously and the dam has developed serious problems. It is estimated that 15 to 20 per cent of the dam's water is lost to seepage.

The United States government, through the Millennium Challenge Account (MCA), has provided 37 million US dollars to fund repair and upgrading work. Under the terms of the contract, the work must be finished before mid-September.

The repairs to the dam have included raising its wall by two metres, building a new flood overflow spillway and constructing a new water intake to supply the city of Nacala. In addition, new bottom outlet gates stop leaks and improve the dam's ecological impact.

Once the work is completed the reservoir will be able to hold 6.6 million cubic metres of water - a 57 per cent increase in capacity. The dam will be able to release 25,000 cubic metres of water per day for the city. The current discharge is limited to 7,200 cubic metres per day.

The dam is fed by the Muecula River and rainwater.

During his visit, the Prime Minister stressed the need for contractors to meet the high standards and strict deadlines of the contract.

He pointed out that Nacala currently suffers from a lack of water for consumption and economic development. He stated, “there can be no economic activity in the areas of tourism, industry or trade without this precious liquid in sufficient quantities”.

He added that the ultimate goal of the rehabilitation is to help Nacala to respond to the development challenges over coming years.

It will help Mozambique reach the seventh objective of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). This is to halve by 2015 the proportion of the population without sustainable access to drinking water and basic sanitation.

According to the Prime Minister, the Mozambican government's efforts in Nacala and other parts of the country will have a notable impact on the quality of life, reducing diarrheal illnesses such as cholera.