Ivory Coast is set to develop 17 drinking water supply systems across the country. The National Drinking Water Utility of Ivory Coast (ONEP) awarded the project contract to French company Vergnet Hydro and Ivorian company Abeda. The water project will be developed in the rural areas of Ivory Coast.
The areas include Tchologo, Poro, Bagoué, Kabadougou and Folon regions. The project involves construction of 12 electric and 5 mixed (solar/electric or solar/thermal) water supply systems.
Joël Menager, Vergnet Hydro’s Tender and Project Manager explains that the The 5 solar farms will develop power ratings of between 4 and 7 kWp, for total headroom of between 60 and 110 m. Upon completion, the water systems will benefit over 50,000 people in the remote areas.
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Project cost
The project is estimated to cost US $5m which will be funded by the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA) and the Islamic Development Bank (IDB). The investments also form part of the IDB-Uemoa Rural Water and Sanitation Programme. It is a programme covering all the countries in the UEMOA zone.
In Ivory Coast, the programme will result in the installation of 120 human-powered pumps in rural areas, as well as the construction of 60 water supply systems. Rapid population growth, increasing urbanization and climate change have made it more difficult to supply water the country, leading to chronic shortages, residents and experts say.
Climate change has led to a fall of around 10% to 20% in rainfall, resulting the underground water reserves that cities relies reducing in levels. To solve this problem, the government has set up the “Water for All” programme which aims to achieve a 100% access rate to drinking water at the national level by 2030.
