At least 10 million inhabitants of the Angolan capital will benefit from drinking water in 2026, the period scheduled for the entry into operation of the two water projects Bita and Quilonga, assured the president of the Board of Directors of the Public Water Company (EPAL), Adão da Silva .
Speaking to the press, on the sidelines of the fourth technical conferences on Sustainable Management of Water Supply Systems, held on Wednesday (20), the manager assured that the two major infrastructures aim to reinforce production, distribution and the quality of supply of drinking water in Luanda.
On the occasion, EPAL’s PCA said that despite the existing deficit in water supply, motivated by the constant growth of the population, every effort has been made to ensure that Luanda residents have access to the precious liquid.
He highlighted that, currently, the water supply capacity for Luanda is around 750 thousand cubic meters, for a population estimated at more than 10 million inhabitants.
The Bita project, valued at USD 1.7 billion, is expected to be implemented in three years, benefiting more than 3 million inhabitants, with 170 thousand new household connections, in the municipality of Belas, in the districts of Quenguenda, Vila Verde , Cabolombo, Ramiros, Morro dos Veados and reinforce the Benfica and Camama areas.
On the other hand, the Quilonga project, budgeted at USD 1.3 billion, will cover 5 million inhabitants, in a capture process that will also be carried out on the Kwanza River, close to Bom Jesus.
Over the next five years, the Angolan Government estimates investing a total of USD 2.5 billion, so that Luanda residents have water on a regular basis.
Regarding the quality of water supplied to the population, the general director of the National Institute of Water Resources, Narciso Ambrósio, recognized that, in this rainy season, there is some change in quality, a fact that forces collection centers to increase the number of products for water treatment.
He also added that the sector continues to work to protect springs. Regarding the fourth days on sustainable water management, the Secretary of State for Water, António da Costa, said that the event aims to create strategies that can respond to the current problem of coverage and control of the quality of this liquid. Under the motto ‘Water Quality Control, what future?’, the event took place in one day and brought together experts from EPAL who operate in water distribution centers.