Fifteen thousand people deprived from access to drinking water in Southern Mozambique

The small water supply system of Quissico, District of Zavala, has been damaged for a month as a result of failure of its pumping system.

According to the chairperson of the system, Abilio Chiponde, the damage is affecting more than 15 000 people who see themselves deprived from access to drinking water in that region. As a way of dealing with water shortages, people are now travelling long miles to fetch water in surrounding areas thus changing the social and economic organization of the village.

The village of Quissico is the district capital of Zavala. The failure of water supply infrastructure has been frequent as a result of high depths of water holes, thus reducing the longevity of the pumps, if they do not benefit from regular preventive maintenance. Another immediate consequence is that the water shortage in Quissico is causing a decline in school attendance. Teachers of village schools lament the fact that students and teachers leave the classroom in search of water.