Mozambican authorities announced today that they need 81,000 euros to restore the vandalized electrical system of the Massingir dam in Gaza province, which has compromised the normal operation of this strategic infrastructure in the southern part of the country.
According to the director of the Limpopo Basin Management Division at the Southern Regional Water Administration (ARA-Sul), Ivan Cuna, acts of vandalism affected copper electrical cables, transformers, and equipment linked to the dam’s main spillway, forcing temporary reliance on generators to ensure the system’s minimum operation.
“They vandalized the entire system with all the cables, known as VAV [underground electrical cables], copper, and our secondary transformer, which boosts the current to our unit, which is the main spillway, was also vandalized,” Ivan Cuna said in statements to journalists.
The official explained that the vandalism struck practically all components of the infrastructure’s electrical switchboard, compromising the normal operational capability of the dam and demanding specialized technical intervention for the full restoration of the system.
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“We are estimating about six million meticais [nearly 81,000 euros] for this purpose. A specialized company is needed to be able to carry out the restoration properly,” the director stated.
With an installed capacity of 25 Megawatts, the Massingir dam on the Elephants River in Gaza province is one of the largest hydro-infrastructure projects in Mozambique, playing a strategic role in water supply, agricultural irrigation, and flood control in the southern region of the country.
The district administrator of Massingir, Sérgio Costa, warned of the increase in cases of vandalism and trespassing in restricted areas of the dam, advocating for the urgent reinforcement of protection and security measures at the facility.
“The Massingir dam cannot be a place where any individual goes to stroll or fish in the reservoir bed,” declared Sérgio Costa, noting that recently a 16-year-old youth died after slipping in a restricted area while practicing fishing.
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The administrator said that cases have been frequent, especially related to the theft of copper electrical cables for illegal sale, lamenting the lack of arrests so far and defending new protection strategies to safeguard the integrity of the infrastructure.
“That enterprise needs to have security devices that correspond to the size and importance of the dam,” Sérgio Costa stated, adding that it is necessary to find “new ways to safeguard the integrity of the dam,” which is considered strategic for the country.
