The Administrative Post of Chiúre-velho
is located south of the Chiúre District in Cabo Delgado, northern Mozambique,
and is one of the oldest posts, according to the stories of older people who
witnessed its creation. Here, there is a grave awaiting a body that has never
arrived – the remains of the traditional chief Megama, considered the owner of
Chiúre, who died in exile.
This post has produced many
prominent figures who have held positions in the Mozambican government. For
example, the mayors of the Chiúre town, including those from the first, second,
and third mandates, all come from Chiúre-velho. The first Governor of Cabo
Delgado was also from Chiúre-velho, and there are other significant names in
Mozambique’s history originating from this administrative post.
In addition to these
individuals, Chiúre-velho is rich in minerals such as gold, tourmaline, rubies,
and there are rumors of oil deposits. The area is also known for its fertile
land for agricultural production, and in the past, it was Chiúre-Velho that
produced a large amount of cashew nuts.
Despite these advantages,
the population of Chiúre-Velho suffers greatly due to the lack of potable
water, according to our interviewees.
My name is Anli, a native
and resident of Chiúre-Velho. There are three neighborhoods here, but only two
are considered official: Linhane and Nihilacuo, leaving out the annexed
neighborhoods of Natuco and the 25th of September village.
Each neighborhood has wells,
but they are insufficient. The population must queue for water, with people
leaving their homes early in the morning to line up, as they may not get water
immediately upon arrival.
In each neighborhood, there
are wells, especially in the Linhane neighborhood, which has four wells, but
only two are functional, with the other two being out of order. In the
Nihilacuo neighborhood, there are also four wells, one of which belongs to a
school, but the population also uses it for water. Although all the wells are
functioning, they are still not enough, as the neighborhoods are vast, and three
wells are still too few.
I believe that in Carvalho,
I do not see any river nearby that could support a dam to supply water to the
post. I am not sure how the wells will be constructed, but in Nihilacuo, I saw
wells being dug near the bridge over the Nihilacuo river, which is abundant in
water. They had even built two tanks to supply water to the post. There is also
an old well at the hospital that has been repaired and supplies water. If my
memory serves me correctly, in 2020, a company came to set up water supply
facilities from this Nihilacuo river, as there is a lot of water, but the
project was halted due to the lack of energy, even though markers were placed.
There is a lot of water in this area, and I am not sure how they will proceed
with rehabilitation, as there is a lot of water there, he recalls.
In the Nihilacuo
neighborhood, I am not sure if there are water problems, as that depends on the
community leaders who are aware of the concerns of the population. They are the
ones who can determine the water shortages in Nihilacuo. However, water is
available there, and I cannot claim that the population faces water problems in
the Nihilacuo neighborhood.
What
would be the benefits of potable water with permanent supply?
With a permanent water supply,
there would be many benefits, such as reducing the time spent waiting at the
well. It would boost the economy, as those with taps in their homes could sell
water. It could also help combat crime, as our women leave early in the morning
to queue at the well, which can be scary, especially given the time they leave.
With water, we could do many good things, which would bring development to our
administrative post of Chiúre-Velho, commented one resident.
In Chiúre-Velho, we also
spoke with Mr. Paulo, a 37-year-old father of nine children, residing in the
25th of September village, which is considered an annexed neighborhood of Chiúre-Velho
headquarters. He said the following:
"The 25th of September
village has four neighborhoods: Nahavara A and B, Montepuez, and Linhane, with
a population of 3,557 inhabitants. The village has only five wells, and some of
them have difficulty supplying water.
Due to these difficulties,
people go early in the morning to queue at the well and only get water after 10
AM. There are two reasons for this: one is that after queuing, people first go
to their farms, and after returning, they check the well again. The other
reason is the difficulty the wells face in providing water consistently.
Sometimes the wells do not provide water at all, and people are forced to go to
the river, which is far, just to get at least one bucket of water.
I don't see a river close to
the village, but there are two rivers: the Nicuburi, which is relatively close
to the village, and the Lurio River, which passes far from the village. During
the dry season, both rivers create lagoons, and I believe it would be possible
to build dams and supply water to the village and the Chiúre-Velho
headquarters."
He continued, saying,
"With water in our village, a lot of things would change. We are a farming
population, and sometimes we cannot do much on our farms because we have to go
home to fetch water."
"If people had taps in
their homes, we could buy the water because water is very important; no one can
live without water. Our women would rest instead of leaving early in the
morning to fetch water, which can be scary, especially considering the current
situation we face here in Chiúre-Velho, due to the insurgency."
Meanwhile, a source from the
District Planning and Infrastructure Service of Chiúre informed us that water
issues in the Chiúre-Velho and Mazeze posts are very critical due to the many
broken wells, and the government relies on partners to rehabilitate and
maintain them.
These posts are on red alert
due to the insurgency, and no partners are willing to send personnel or
vehicles to carry out maintenance on the broken wells, the source explained.
The source also mentioned
that many of the service's partners have left the district, and currently, the
service survives on state funds, which are scarce and insufficient to even
maintain a single well. (Celestino Carlos)
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