The government of Chad and the French company Vergnet Hydro have signed an agreement to supply 489 human-powered pumps in three provinces. The future boreholes will be installed in partnership with Batifor Mem, Sotcham and Hydrobat Mem.
The Chadian government wants to improve the supply of drinking water in the provinces of Wadi-Fira, Logone Occidental and Tandjilé. This is thanks to a new project that involves the construction of 489 human-powered pumps. The Chadian Ministry of the Economy, Planning and International Cooperation has awarded the contract to Vergnet Hydro, a company based in Ingré, France.
Chadian companies Batifor Mem, Sotcham and Hydrobat Mem will carry out the civil works and install the human powered pumps. In the provinces of Wadi-Fira, Logone Occidental and Tandjilé, these installations should benefit more than 150,000 people, bringing the Chadian government closer to its goal of supplying 100% of the population with drinking water by 2030.
By 2021, one out of every two people in the Central African country will have access to safe drinking water, a rate of 53% according to the African Development Bank (AfDB).
The supply and installation of the 489 human-powered pumps will require an investment of 3.34 million euros. 157 million granted by the European Union (EU) for the implementation of the Food and Nutritional Security Program (SAN), launched in May 2020 in Chad. The program, which is being implemented in the provinces of Logone Occidental, Tandjilé, Guera, Ouaddaï and Wadi-Fira, is based on support for the sustainable management of natural resources, particularly water, improved access to sanitation and hygiene services, and the prevention of malnutrition.