Maputo — HCB, the company that operates the Cahora Bassa dam in the western Mozambican province of Tete, has announced that it will invest 230 million meticais (about 9,700 US dollars) in water supply in the Estima valley, a few kilometres outside the dam town of Songo.

This will involve drilling 15 new wills in Estima. For although Estima is quite close to the Zambezi, the largest river in the country, the area is semi-arid, and faces a critical shortage of drinking water.

Announcing the new initiative in Songo on Monday, the chairman of the HCB board, Carlos Veiga Anjos, said "Since we cannot ignore the suffering of the people of Estima, we shall contribute towards minimising the shortage of water for thousands of people.

The 15 settlements in the Estima valley that will benefit from the new wells were identified in a joint study undertaken by HCB and the administration of Cahora Bassa district.

HCB's partner in this project is OIKOS, which claims to be the largest Portuguese NGO. In turn OIKOS is receiving support for this project from the Portuguese mineral water company, "Aguas de Luso".