The government of Chad has inked a partnership worth US $70.6m grant with the French Development Agency (AFD), the European Union (EU) and the Netherlands to fund the rehabilitation and extend the capacity of the water network in the capital N’Djamena.
The project is part of the country’s plan to increase N’Djamena’s rate of access to drinking water from the current 30% to 80% by 2030. The drinking water supply project developed in N’Djamena includes the creation of a new pumping field with 3 boreholes in the north-west of the city, the construction of two water towers and the laying of 205 km of pipes to direct water to households.
The government is also planning to rehabilitate 12 water towers, 33 boreholes and 52 km of faulty pipes, as well as the development and rehabilitation of several connections and meters for individuals.
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National Development Programme
The project to extend the water supply network in Ndjamena is also being undertaken as part of the National Development Programme implemented by the government of Chad covering the period 2017-2021. The project is being implemented at a time when the country is experiencing significant temperature rises and rainfall is becoming increasingly scarce. These factors are plunging Chad into drought.
Out of the total US $70.6m, AFD will contribute US $17.9m while the EU US $16.7m. The Netherland will fund the project with US $35.9m. The State of this Central African country will contribute US $19m to the financing of the project which will require an overall investment of US $90.1m.
The city of N’Djamena faces major problems in terms of drinking water supply, flooding, management of household waste and domestic wastewater, mainly due to the lack of sanitation infrastructure. Its outskirts don’t benefit from the city’s utilities grid. Instead, they rely on shallow wells or, if they can afford it, water vendors.