The water storage capacity of the river Incomáti in Mozambique is expected to grow by about one billion cubic metres by the end of 2019, enabling the expansion of water supply projects to the Maputo metropolitan area as well as irrigation and manufacturing, Mozambican daily newspaper Noícias reported Friday.

According to estimates from water company ARA-Sul, the development is based on new sluice gates at the Corumana dam and completion of construction of the Moamba Major dam, whose financing is already available and work is underway.

With the construction of the Moamba Major dam, costing just over US$466 million, it will be possible to store 760 million cubic metres of water. The remaining 300 to 400 million cubic metres will be guaranteed with the placement of the sluice gates at the Corumana dam.

Installing the sluice gates at Corumana, according to ARA-Sul, will make it possible to store as much water as the Pequenos Libombs dam, which cost US$300 to US$400 million. Completion of the works at Corumana will provide a total of 1.2 billion cubic metres, or an increase of 30 percent of the current capacity, which is around 800 million.

The two dams are considered key to guaranteeing the water supply to the capital and also to accommodate development planned for the next 20-50 years.

Studies conducted by Ara-Sul show a water harvesting system with an initial capacity of 60,000 metres per day could be installed at Corumana. In the second phase there are plans to double water catchment capacity to 120,000 cubic metres per day.

The construction project for a new treatment plant and five pumping stations along a main conduit 95 kilometres long to carry water from Corumana, was recently awarded to a Belgian consortium.

Estimates point to a need for just over 67 million cubic metres of water per year to supply the city of Maputo. (macauhub/MO)