Cabo Verde to set up desalination facilities

The Government of Cabo Verde (Cape Verde) intends to spend $200m for construction of desalination facilities in the island country for treating seawater.

Each of the facilities is expected to produce up to 20,000m³ of potable water per day.

Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) will provide $150m to the project, which is known as ‘The Project for Development of the Water Supply System in Santiago Island’.

The government and its partners will provide the remaining $50m for the project.

Planned to be implemented between 2014 and 2020, the project will involve the design of two desalination plants to be built at Praia and Calheta São Miguel.

The facilities will improve water production and distribution on the island of Santiago.

The produced potable water from the plants will be distributed throughout municipalities in Santiago through large water tanks, which are to be developed later.

The local government will arrange an international tender for the development of the project, which will be attended by a consortium of Japanese and Cape Verdean companies.

The Ministry of Environment, Housing and Territorial Planning will oversee the project via the National Water Supply and Sanitation Agency and Ministry of Tourism, Investment and Business Development, which will be represented by the Management Unit for Special Projects.

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Image: Aerial view of Praia, the capital city of Cape Verde on the island of Santiago. Photo: courtesy of David Trainer / Wikipedia.