Angolans Praise an Anti-drought Project Led by POWERCHINA as a Lifeblood

BEIJING, April 7, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- A news report by haiwainet.cn: 

2023 marks the 40th anniversary of the diplomatic ties between China and Angola. Over the past 40 years, Chinese companies have undertaken many projects for water supply and drought relief in Angola, bringing "tangible changes" to the lives of residents.

Smiles spread across the faces of all, from adults with buckets on their heads to children with plastic bottles in their arms, when they first saw clean tap water filling the sink in their village. "You've fulfilled the dream we've had for generations! Now, people, cattle and sheep all have enough water to drink. The drought is a thing of the past. I'm very, very happy about that," said Mengela, an Angolan villager, in expressing his gratitude for the drought relief project undertaken in Cunene Province by POWERCHINA, a state-owned enterprise taking the lead in infrastructural construction worldwide.

The project is one of the top ten livelihood projects in Angola, including a 150-kilometer-long canal, 30 pools of 50,000 cubic meters, and 30 drinking water points for livestock. After the project is completed, it can meet the water needs of 235,000 people and 400,000 livestock along the line and provide irrigation for 5,000 hectares of farmland.

In addition to the recognition it has gained among residents, the project has also been acclaimed by people from all sectors at home and abroad. In January this year, Manuel Quintino, Secretary of State for Water Affairs of Angola, paid a visit to the site, saying that the project had greatly mitigated drought conditions in the region and that it not only played a vital role in facilitating people's life and work and the development of agriculture and animal husbandry in the region but also provided a useful reference for projects of the same kind to be implemented in other provinces in southern Angola and even in neighboring countries. Earlier, Abdullah Shahid, President of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly, said during a visit to the project that the model therein applied should be introduced to other drought-affected regions worldwide.

Channeled into Africa is not only the water that fights against droughts but also the cordiality of the Chinese people. The Cunene Drought Relief Project is on its way to becoming a bond of long-lasting friendship between China and Africa.