The President of Mozambique, Filipe Nyusi, said on Monday that 63.6% of the Mozambican population, corresponding to around 20 million people, has access to drinking water.
‘At the beginning of my mandate, in 2015, access to drinking water stood at 51%, i.e. it supplied 12.6 million people, but when we Mozambicans were 20 million (…) With the implementation of various programmes, in particular Water for Life, the level of coverage has evolved to 63.6%, benefiting around 20 million by 2024,’ said the Mozambican president during the inauguration of the Pemba water supply system, in the province of Cabo Delgado, in northern Mozambique.
Filipe Nyusi acknowledged that access to water is still ‘a challenge’ for the country and said that his government would have reached the target of a 100% supply of that resource if the number of Mozambican population had not grown.
Nyusi also said that the government would continue to prioritise the construction of more water supply systems, retention sources, the rehabilitation of dams and reservoirs, but asked Mozambicans for ‘improvements’ in sanitation.
‘The investments that the government is promoting in the area of water supply go hand in hand with sanitation, which is another problem. We can have quality water, but if the sanitation isn’t good it reduces life expectancy, the quality of life,’ said the Mozambican Head of State, adding that “without reliable access to quality water, people become vulnerable”.
Filipe Nyusi also emphasised that the construction of water supply systems across the country is ‘a legacy’ of his government and promised that more infrastructure will be inaugurated later this year, with the aim of benefiting the public with this ‘fundamental and basic’ resource.
‘Providing Mozambicans with water is not a favour, it’s an act of social justice. If you want to be fair, look for water for your compatriots. Providing water means respecting human dignity, it means observing human rights,’ he concluded.
Source: Lusa/Club Of Mozambique
