President of the Republic inaugurates a Project to strengthen the System for Supplying the City of Nouadhibou with Drinking Water from Boulnouar.

His Excellency the President of the Republic, Mr. Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani, inaugurated on Monday a project to strengthen the system for supplying the city of Nouadhibou with drinking water from Boulnouar.

During the launch ceremony, His Excellency the President of the Republic watched presentations on the components of this project, its production capacity, its contribution to meeting the city’s water needs, and the technical measures adopted to implement this important project, before cutting the symbolic ribbon and unveiling the commemorative plaque, signaling the start of water flow from this project to the city of Nouadhibou.

As part of this project, 10 wells were drilled and equipped at Lake Boulnouar to produce 10,000 cubic meters per day, 21 existing wells were rehabilitated, and a 15-kilometer medium-voltage electrical network was built to supply power to the new wells. A 34.5 km low-voltage electrical network was also built to supply power to the various electrical components of the project (pumping, transport, reservoirs), in addition to the installation of a remote control system to manage the flow of water from production sources to the city through various stages.

As part of this project, pipes with a diameter of 800 mm and a length of 76.55 km were also purchased and installed to transport water from Boulnouar to Nouadhibou, and a new storage and distribution hub was built in Nouadhibou, consisting of a semi-underground tank with a capacity of 5,000 m³, a pumping station with a flow rate of 388.8 m³ per hour, and the installation of 7.76 km of iron pipes with a diameter ranging from 300 to 1000 mm within the city, in addition to buildings for administrative and technical use.

The implementation phases of this important project, which cost 32 billion old ouguiyas and was financed by the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development, included the completion of a new water distribution network in the city of Nouadhibou consisting of 43.1 km of pipes, with the installation of 3,000 new connections.

In her speech during the inauguration ceremony, Minister of Water and Sanitation Amal Mint Maouloud explained that the importance of this achievement is not limited to its technical and logistical scope, but goes beyond that to embody the approach that makes serving citizens the cornerstone of public policy. and making their access to basic services a top priority, as they are the primary goal of every vision and the primary beneficiaries of every achievement.

She added that with the entry into service of this project, the production capacity of Lake Boulenouar, supported by ten reserve wells completed by the National Industrial and Mining Company (SNIM), will exceed 35,000 cubic meters per day, which constitutes a qualitative development in securing the water needs of the city of Nouadhibou.

She said that this project will enable the city to keep pace with population, urban and economic growth by boosting production and expanding distribution, noting that the sector is working on launching a comprehensive master plan for the city that keeps pace with its urban expansion and population growth and establishes sustainable planning that meets its future needs.

She pointed out that although preliminary studies indicate that the amount of water currently produced is sufficient to cover the needs of the city of Nouadhibou in the coming years, the city’s importance as a free zone, and a tourist and industrial destination, requires keeping pace with its development with sufficient production quantities to meet various types of use. She noted that, based on this, the sector has launched a technical study to establish a large seawater desalination plant with a production capacity of up to 50,000 cubic meters per day, as a structural project that will cover the city’s needs in the medium term and ensure that its future requirements are met.

She reviewed examples of achievements made in recent years in the water sector, including the construction of hundreds of water networks across the country, the drilling and equipping of hundreds of wells, and the launch of a large number of infrastructure projects with a single goal: to increase production and provide water in sufficient quantity and quality to the population.

As a reminder, His Excellency the President of the Republic, Mr. Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani, laid the foundation stone for the project to strengthen the system for supplying the city of Nouadhibou with drinking water from Boulnouar on December 23, 2022.

The inauguration was attended by the Minister in charge of the Office of the President of the Republic, the Ministers of Digital Transformation and Modernization of Administration; Fisheries, Maritime and Port Infrastructure; Housing, Urban Development and Land Reclamation; the General Delegate for National Solidarity and the Fight Against Exclusion “Taazur”; advisors to the Presidency of the Republic; the governor of Nouadhibou; the president of the Nouadhibou Free Zone Authority; the managing director of the National Industrial and Mining Company (SNIM); the prefect of Nouadhibou; local elected officials; military and security leaders in the province; and a number of national business leaders.