Photo by: Duane Daws
To provide drinking water to urban areas in Swaziland, the African Water Facility (AWF) has granted the enclave country €1.28-million to finance feasibility studies for a multipurpose dam on a tributary of its Lusushwana river.
The Nondvo dam project was expected to also have a positive impact on the country’s industrial and agricultural sectors, with water stored in the dam to be used for irrigation and hydropower generation.
AWF acting coordinator Jean-Michel Ossete noted that, for 2015, the overall access rate to drinking water supply in Swaziland was 74%, while the sanitation coverage rate reached 57%.
“However, the increase in water demand in the cities of Mbabane and Manzini and the riparian region, requires the urgent construction of new infrastructure.
“Given the rapid socioeconomic development of the area, water storage and processing facilities will no longer be able to meet the needs of the population of these cities in the coming years,” he added.
The Middle Income Country Technical Assistance Fund – an instrument of the African Development Bank – would provide a further €1-million to help fund the feasibility studies, while the Climate Resilient Infrastructure Development Facility and the Swaziland government would contribute €220 000 and €300 000 respectively.