03/03/2014 / CONGO-BRAZZAVILLE
Residents of Mpissa in Brazzaville wait near a water point.
Drinking water should be plentiful in Congo-Brazzaville, yet most
people living in the country's capital are forced to resort to private
wells. Not only does the Congo have abundant groundwater resources,
it's also bordered by the one of the world's most powerful rivers. But
power failures coupled with an insufficient water supply mean that many
of Brazzaville's residents have no other choice.
This lack of basic infrastructure has led to severe water shortages
in a country that paradoxically receives plenty of rainfall. In rural
areas, only 10% of people have access to clean water. The situation is
far worse in towns and cities, where 50% of the urban population can't
access safe drinking water.
According to a Global Water Partnership
report, the Congo lacks “production infrastructure [factories, pumping
stations], water treatment systems [chemical products to treat the
water], storage capacity [water towers], and distribution infrastructure
[pipes and water fountains]." As a result, for the most part residents
get their water through informal networks such as private water wells.
|
“In the cities, women carry water containers on their heads like they did when we lived in villages!”
Our Observer lives in the Mpissa neighbourhood of Brazzaville. He
took these photos showing residents waiting in front of private wells,
surrounded by dozens of water containers.
In some neighbourhoods, power outages lead to these situations.
However, in other neighbourhoods like Mpissa and Bacongo, this is our
daily life. First of all, the National Water Distribution Company [known
as SNDE, it is in charge of the production, distribution, storage, and
marketing of drinking water in Congo] is an old company that has barely
modernised its equipment since it was created. Most of its equipment
dates back to pre-independence days [some equipment dates back to 1954].
So the water supply has a hard time even reaching areas that are
supposed to be part of the SNDE's coverage. It's often yellow, in part
due to dirty pipes. [SNDE officers
state that the water is regularly treated, but that its quality may
deteriorate because of the pipe network’s shortcomings]. Many areas are
outside the SNDE’s coverage area, mainly because the infrastructure
hasn't been able to keep up with the city's rapidly expanding
population.
|
“SNDE never fails to send its bills”
The short-term solution for now is to get water from private
vendors who have the means to build wells. Sellers will buy 25 litre
water containers for 50 CFA francs [0.08 euros] and carry them to
residences to sell at 100 CFA francs [0.16 euros]. It’s very profitable.
The daughter of a politician has even gone into this business in my
neighbourhood. The problem is that this water isn’t even drinkable. To
find water safe for drinking, it’s another story altogether. For that,
we need to go to neighbourhoods that have water towers.
In Mpissa, we’ve gone through two-year periods without any running
water. This year, we had some running water during the rainy season, but
it’s been dry since October. And the worst is that SNDE never fails to
send us a bill.
And yet the Congo is blessed. Unlike the Sahel countries, water
here is plentiful, but it's just not in the taps. In the cities, women
are carrying water containers on their heads like they did when we lived
in villages. Is that what they call development?
|
In 2009, the authorities launched a sweeping reform of water management
that focuses on urban areas. The Congolese government is working with
the French company Sade, a contractor for Veolia, which will carry out
part of the refurbishing work on the water system. Last October,
it was announced that construction would end in early 2014 in
Brazzaville and in 2016 in Pointe-Noire, the country’s second largest
city.
When contacted by FRANCE 24, Nicolas Labarre, the managing director
for water at the Congolese Ministry of Energy and Water, claimed that
the new Djiri II plant would be 100% operational by late March. “We will
need to continue repairing the pipe network as the water starts coming
back into the pipes, but I think we can safely say that the city of
Brazzaville, including the centre and the suburbs, will be receiving
water two months from now. Everyone will have access to water at home,
or through water fountains.”
Nicolas Labarre claims
that since 2005, public investment in the Congolese water sector has
totalled over 300 billion CFA francs, or more than 450 million euros.
All photos were taken by our Observer Guy MilexMbondzi.
