Mozambique Plans to Build 25 New Dams in the Next 20 Years

• Mozambique’s National Water Resources Management Plan foresees the construction of 25 dams in the next 20 years, as a central part of the process of creating climate resilience in the main hydrographic basins in the country.
• In addition to increasing water supply and storage capacity crucial to facing droughts, gains in energy generation are also being considered.
• To carry out these projects, the government must mobilise an investment in the order of US$13.6 billion.

These projections were announced earlier this week by Messias Macie, National Director of Water Resources at the Ministry of Public Works, Housing and Water Resources, at a press conference in Maputo.

Macie spoke about the construction of the dam on the Megarruma River in Cabo Delgado, whose planning is at an advanced stage, and its pre-feasibility study completed. This enterprise will have the capacity to store around 181 million cubic metres of water.

Also in the north of the country, the construction of the dam on the Lúrio river is expected. In addition to its energy potential, this dam will be able to store more than one billion cubic metres of water.

In the centre of the country, specifically, in Zambézia province, at least five sites with potential for the construction of dams have been identified, with Mugeba on the Licungo River a priority.

“The Mugeba reservoir will have the capacity to store around 267 million cubic metres, making it possible to reduce the impact of floods in the lower Nante while also improving water supply to the cities of Mocuba and Quelimane,” Macie explained.

Also the centre of the country, there are studies for the construction of a reservoir on the Púnguè river at Pavua. The dam will be able to store 17 million cubic metres of water and generate 120 Megawatts of energy.

The ongoing attraction of investments may also make it possible to build a dam at Nhacangala in the centre of the country, with estimated storage capacity of 160 million cubic metres.

The national director of Water Resources also reaffirmed the feasibility of the Mapai dam project on the Limpopo River in Gaza province, saying it would be crucial to minimising the impact of drought and floods.

The amount to be invested is only the equivalent of that disbursed to repair damages after the floods in the Limpopo basin – about US$600 million in 2000 and another US$550 million in 2013.

In terms of technical specifications, the Mapai dam will have a capacity of 7.2 billion cubic metres, maximum length of 3.4 kilometres and a height of 53 metres. The project includes a flood chute with a capacity of 54,849 cubic metres per second.

Author: GBA News Desk

Source: Noticias