Africa-Press – Cape verde. The Minister of Agriculture and Sanitation, Gilberto Silva, stated today that the data points to a considerable increase in water production in Cape Verde, adding that the country mobilized 28 thousand cubic meters/day through desalination.
The government official, who was speaking in Parliament at the end of the question to the Government about the Supply of Water for Consumption and Irrigation in the country, carried out at the request of the African Party for the Independence of Cape Verde (PAICV), considered it not serious on the part of the opposition party take advantage of breakdowns to promote debates and talk about setbacks in water matters.
“Coming to have a debate during a period in which there was a breakdown to show that there is no water, when the indicators show an increase in water production, I think it is simply an attempt to take advantage of it”, he said, adding that the first breakdown that exists in Cape Verde is the seven years of drought, in other words, “climate breakdown”
“If we look at this entire period, it is a period in which it rained much less and there was no recharge of groundwater. Therefore climate. The second failure is technical failures that have always existed in Cape Verde”, he said, highlighting that the Government has never said that it will definitively end the water problem in the country.
However, he added that the Executive has a program that it is implementing and which foresees increasing water to at least 90 liters per person daily, and bringing 100% of people connected to the network.
“And we are on this good path. Reports from water and sanitation services speak of 93% and we are currently at 90 liters of water and we do not find it in 43 liters, but rather in 38 liters of water per person per day”, he recalled, in response to criticism from PAICV. , who states that today Cape Verdeans are experiencing greater water shortages than before 2016.
According to Gilberto Silva during the mandate of the current Government, supported by the Movement for Democracy (MpD), more water was mobilized with the country having 28 cubic meters of desalinated water per day and Brava Island about to join the list of eight islands with water desensitized, in this particular case using 100% solar energy.
He also spoke about the contracts that will be signed to increase water on the island of Boa Vista and the ongoing negotiations to increase water on the island of Santiago in both the north and south.
“This is a journey and, therefore, we think it is not serious to come here and say that there was discontinuity, regression, when the concrete numbers and the concrete reality of water connection show that in fact there was progression and today we have an annual report of water and sanitation services, which is the only experience in Africa that demonstrates transparency in data production”, he maintained.
With regard to water for agriculture, Gilberto Silva explained that the discontinuity with the dam policy is not due to the fact that this Government does not like dams, but rather a commitment to desalination to complement the dams and reduce dependence on rain.
The minister reiterated the Government’s commitment to working to make more and cheaper water available for consumption and agriculture.
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