Mozambique Plans to Build a $360 Million Dam to Boost Water Supply

Mozambique is planning to build a U$360 million dam in the outskirts of the capital, Maputo to supply water to city residents, including the Mozal aluminum smelter, Public Works and Housing Minister Felicio Zacarias said on Saturday.

He told APA in an interview on Saturday that the Moamba-Major dam, to be built on the Komati River, will provide an additional 600,000 cubic meters to the area annually, boosting supplies of the inefficient Pequenos Libombos dam.

“We are looking for money for the construction of this dam or a partner who could build it and run it as a concession,” he said.

Population growth and industrial development have brought pressure to bear on Maputo’s main Pequenos Libombos dam serving over 2 million people and high-water consuming mega projects which have been mushrooming around Maputo.

Zacarias added that transition from war to peace, Mozambique has become a magnet for foreign investors because of its natural resources and minerals.

The US$1.3 billion Mozal aluminum smelter near Maputo started the rush in the 1990s, and more recently several mining companies have done deals to dig for coal and ilmenite, which can be turned into titanium dioxide, a base for paint, paper and plastic.

Foreigners are also interested in bio-fuels while the Chinese want to build several dams.

Source African Press Agency

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