The inhabitants of Lomé, the capital of Togo, will soon benefit from new “deep, high-flow” boreholes. The Togolese Minister of Water, Equipment and Village Hydraulics, Antoine Lekpa Gbegbeni, indicates that the work will be launched during this month of July 2020. Groundwater will be channelled to three water towers. This will strengthen the water supply of the lower town, particularly in the districts of Bè, Nyékonakpoè and Kodjoviakopé, Kégué, Hédzranawoé and the surrounding area.
A 1 million euro project
Construction of the “deep, high-flow” Lomé boreholes will be financed by the Togolese Ministry of Water, Public Works and Village Hydraulics to the tune of 1 million euros, the equivalent of 700 million CFA francs. The work is expected to last six months.
The drinking water project is in line with the Togolese government’s policy of encouraging an increasing improvement in access to drinking water, especially in rural areas where the access rate is currently around 70%.
In addition to this new drilling project in Lomé, the authorities are planning to drill 400 boreholes equipped with human-powered pumps and to rehabilitate 200 boreholes in the Kara and Savannah regions of Togo in the very near future. To date, Togo has just over 12,000 human-powered pumps, most of them in rural areas.
Inès Magoum