Luanda, May 21 (Prensa Latina) Deficits in the supply of drinking water and sanitation and hygiene services in Angola were among the main problems examined by the Government in the week ending today.
The Vice-President of the Republic, Bornito de Sousa, led the analysis of the National Water Council the day before, based on the commitment to achieve universal access to such services by 2030, with the support of international organizations such as the United Nations Children’s Fund.
As João Baptista Borges reports, among the issues of interest, they considered the need to reduce the impact of open defecation, taking into account its negative effects on the quality of the liquid consumed by the population and the consequent proliferation of diseases.
The Council also received detailed information on the program to combat drought in the south of the country, including water works in the provinces of Cunene, Huíla and Namibe.
They noted that the Cafu canal, recently inaugurated, ensured the initial phase of a diversion system on the Cunene river, to benefit about 230,000 inhabitants and 255,000 head of cattle, as well as the possible irrigation of 5,000 hectares of arable land.
The authorities are also seeking solutions to mitigate the problems in Luanda’s aqueduct network through the Bita and Quilonga projects, the first of which has already received financing from the World Bank, confirmed the Minister of Energy and Water, João Baptista Borges.
During this week, the Executive also announced the start of construction work, in the province of Namibe, of a photovoltaic power plant with a generation capacity of 50 megawatts (MW).
With an investment cost of over US$ 30 million, the infrastructure will be located in the desert locality of Caraculo and the execution of its first stage should provide a capacity of 25 MW to benefit the municipality of Moçâmedes.
Mr. João Baptista Borges explained that Caraculo was selected because of the high solar irradiation potential in the area.
For his part, the Minister of Natural Resources, Oil and Gas, Diamantino Azevedo, informed that there are other projects for that southern region in the field of solar energy and biofuels.
