Two districts in Mozambique’s Gaza province are scrambling for at least 280 million meticais ($4.4 million) to address a severe water crisis that’s threatening the livelihoods of more than 50,000 residents and a large cattle population.
In the Mabalane district, at least 40 communities are dependent on brackish water or dirty ponds for their daily needs, a problem exacerbated by a punishing drought. According to Rafael Dava, the district’s director of infrastructure services, a lasting solution requires the construction of 15 dams and boreholes drilled to depths exceeding 300 meters. The estimated cost for these projects is between 140 million and 180 million meticais.
Dava noted that about 80% of the district’s water is unsuitable for consumption, a challenge that also impacts the local cattle industry, which is the province’s largest with over 70,000 head of cattle.
“We need to drill a borehole over 300 meters deep… where the river doesn’t flow,” Dava said, highlighting the geological challenges of the area.
Meanwhile, in the neighboring Chibuto district, more than 34,000 people are consuming contaminated water. Residents like Jessica Joel, 25, face the daily hardship of walking long distances to fetch water from a contaminated well.
“That water is dirty and colored, but without it we can’t cook, wash or drink,” one resident complained.
Chibuto administrator Cacilda Banze acknowledged the problem, stating that approximately 100 million meticais is needed to build or improve water supply systems. Each new system costs over 10 million meticais, and the administration aims to tackle the issue despite financial constraints.
