Ivory Coast, page-29

Laurent Tchagba, Minister of Hydraulics

The difficulties in supplying the population with drinking water have led the government to seek lasting solutions. In this interview, the Minister of Hydraulics, Laurent Tchagba, reports on the progress made in the sector.

Minister, what assessment do you make of the government's efforts to supply populations with drinking water?

Many efforts have been made by the government to reduce the drinking water deficit, both in Abidjan and in the interior of the country, and especially in rural areas. The drinking water demand of the Abidjan District was estimated at 500,000 m3 / day in June 2011, for a production of 350,000,000 m3 / day, representing a deficit of 30%. Significant investments have made it possible to bring the offer to 640,000 m3 / day today. In the city of Abidjan, major projects, costing a total of 215 billion FCFA, have been carried out. Inside the country, 225 localities were connected to the network of the Water Distribution Company of Côte d'Ivoire (SODECI), at a cost of FCfa 47 billion. We have made available 80 mini-water supplies - called improved village hydraulics (HVA) - in Dompleu (Man) and started work on 500 boreholes in the Mountain District, for water points with human motility. Today, we are at a rate of access to drinking water of more than 80% nationally. From 2011 to 2018, more than 500 billion FCFA were injected into the sector.

The Government's Social Program certainly comes to reinforce all these achievements…

In fact, with the rehabilitation of 21,000 human-powered pumps, the gains will be reinforced. The operation will extend over three years, at an overall cost of 15 billion FCFA. It will supply drinking water to nearly 11 million people and will also help create around 500 permanent and casual jobs. The government plans to invest CFAF 1,320 billion in the water sector by 2020, with a view to meeting the various challenges, with the “Water For All” program. To help rural populations in the maintenance of the pumps made available to them, the State has entrusted maintenance to SODECI.

Do you have other actions considered as priorities in terms of access to drinking water?

One of our priority actions is aimed at the sub-prefectures. Indeed, a diagnosis made by the government indicates that out of the 500 sub-prefectures, 200 are not equipped with drinking water supply systems. Hence the establishment of a vast program called “Water For All”. This program provides for the realization of 200 water towers in the administrative centers of the sub-prefecture which do not have any. In view of the increase in populations, we will strengthen the production capacities of localities lacking in drinking water. As part of the social connections for poor families, 450,000 families will have access to drinking water.

In Abidjan, you opted for a surface water treatment plant. What are the reasons ?

The construction of a surface water treatment station with “membrane technology” is a first in Abidjan. This water treatment technology consists of the use of membranes which act as filters allowing water to pass through and retaining suspended solids and other substances. It is the result of a partnership agreement of more than 108 billion FCFA, signed between Côte d'Ivoire and the Israeli company Fluence. This technology will allow us to reach a production capacity of 150,000,000 m3 / day. This choice is explained by the fact that in Abidjan, raw water is accessible and of good quality. As the population increases and the city expands, we decided to use surface water to supplement that of the groundwater.