IVORY COAST: €3 million allocated to monitoring water resources
In Côte d'Ivoire, the government wants to strengthen monitoring of river flow, with a view to improving the conditions of drinking water supply for populations in rural areas. It is in this context that funding of 3 million euros was announced on September 13, 2023. The funds will be used in particular for the rehabilitation of 67 hydrometric pump stations in the West African country.
How can we improve the sizing of drinking water installations in rural areas and ensure effective management of withdrawals? For the government of Côte d'Ivoire, the solution will come from monitoring the flow of rivers. This is what justifies the release of 1.9 billion CFA francs (nearly 3 million euros) for the implementation of the project to rehabilitate 67 hydrometric pump stations. The financing was recently announced by government spokesperson Amadou Coulibaly following the Council of Ministers held in the economic capital Abidjan.
The hydrometric pump stations will be equipped with “efficient” systems for collecting and processing data from the main rivers, notably the Comoé, Cavally, Sassandra and Bandama rivers.
This equipment will make it possible to “control the surface water resources existing on the national territory, and ensure their rational use in a context marked by shortages” , explains Amadou Coulib, the spokesperson for the Ivorian government. Côte d'Ivoire wants to achieve universal access to drinking water by 2030. In 2021, the Ivorian Ministry of Hydraulics indicated that 73% of Ivorians living in rural areas had access to this water service. base compared to 83% in urban areas.
The project will also improve the conditions of drinking water supply in remote areas of Côte d'Ivoire thanks to the installation of solar pumps planned in 21 villages. Hydrometric pumps powered by clean energy will take over in the event of power outages. Currently, 70% of the electricity distributed in Côte d'Ivoire is produced from gas.
