Lunda Sul, Angola, June 24, 2026 (Lusa) - Water shortages in the municipalities of Muconda and Cacolo are forcing residents to walk almost five kilometres – a distance that is set to be reduced with the opening of two water supply systems costing almost 10 billion kwanzas.
The municipalities, which lie almost 200 kilometres from the city of Saurimo, the capital of Lunda Sul province, were provided with two water supply systems on Tuesday, inaugurated by Angola’s minister for territorial administration, Daniel Félix Neto.
Local authorities and residents acknowledged the difficulties in accessing water, stating that they used to walk between four and five kilometres a day to fetch water from rivers for domestic use – a situation that has now been overcome with both systems now operational.
The two projects – namely the one in the municipality of Muconda, budgeted at 4.05 billion kwanzas (€3.8 million), and the one in the municipality of Cacolo, which cost 5.35 billion kwanzas (€5.1 million) – will benefit almost 35,000 residents.
According to authorities in Lunda Sul, in eastern Angola, the commissioning of the Muconda water supply system will increase water supply coverage for the population from 18.5% to 42%, whilst in Cacolo it will rise from 19.7% to 44.21%.
The mayor of Muconda, João Yemba, described the difficulties faced by the municipality’s residents, who walk between four and five kilometres every day to fetch drinking water from the river, noting that the infrastructure will be a great benefit to local people.
“In fact, until recently, the residents of Muconda used to walk between four and five kilometres along the rivers in search of water for their own use, including children and the elderly, but the government has provided us with this water, and we are all delighted,” said the traditional leader.
Satisfaction was also expressed by the administrator of Muconda, a municipality with over 28,000 inhabitants, who said that the infrastructure will ensure treated water for the population and provide water connections to nearly 700 households.
Isaías Filipe Sakajimba noted that people used to consume untreated water and, from now on, he argued, the situation will be reversed with the infrastructure becoming operational, as it has the capacity to store 500 cubic metres of treated water.
“In the past, we used to drink water from the River Luembe, which was untreated, and we also had a very small water intake that only supplied a few homes in the town centre. But with this new system, which has more than 693 domestic connections, things will be very different,” he noted.
Difficulties in accessing water and joy at the new infrastructure were also described by residents of the municipality of Cacolo, which also gained a water supply system with a catchment capacity of 200 cubic metres per hour and a 500 m³ reservoir.
The municipal administrator, Luís Domingos, said in his speech that the infrastructure is the greatest gift to the municipality, which, on the same day, celebrated its 92nd anniversary since being elevated to municipal status.
Carlos Bernardo Kassanguili, mayor of Cacolo, welcomed the initiative by the administrative authorities to alleviate the suffering of the population who walk long distances in search of water, and called for expanding household connections.
“But we are saying that as long as the water [via household connections] does not reach everyone, there are few who have household connections and many still do not, the number of connections must be increased because Cacolo is large and [the] difficulties are too great,” he urged.
Gildo Matias José, governor of Lunda Sul, expressed “enormous joy” that the dream had become a reality and noted that the minister for territorial affairs (his predecessor in the provincial government) had been the driving force behind the projects now inaugurated.
He emphasised that access to water is a fundamental right, told residents of Muconda and Cacolo they would no longer have to travel long distances to access water, and pledged to create the conditions to increase the number of household connections in both municipalities.
The minister for territorial administration, Daniel Félix Neto, said that the two water systems inaugurated represent “major achievements” that the Angolan government is making available to the people of Lunda Sul to address their water needs.
“The handover of these two systems represents a major gain for the people of Lunda Sul, specifically in the two municipalities, and demonstrates the Angolan government’s commitment to continuously resolving the problems faced by our population,” said the minister.
*** Lusa travelled to the province of Lunda Sul at the invitation of Angola’s Ministry of Territorial Administration *** DAS/ADB // ADB.
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