The Kingdom of the Netherlands, Italy, and the Mozambican government have signed three agreements that provide for the provision, by European countries, of about 325 million meticais for sustainable water management, sanitation, and hygiene programs.

The memoranda were signed by the Ministry of Public Works, Housing and Water Resources (MOPHRH), the municipality of Maputo, the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation.

On the one hand, the Kingdom of the Netherlands is responsible for the institutional capacity building of the Water Infrastructure and Sanitation Administration (WASH) and the support of the water supply system operators, according to João Machatine, Minister of Public Works, Housing and Water Resources.

On the other hand, the agreement between the Italian Agency and the municipality of Maputo aims to improve municipal sanitation services, with the main focus on the Chamanculo "C" neighborhood in the capital of Mozambique.

The minister said that "the agreements total $49,250,000," of which about $25 million will be provided by the Kingdom of the Netherlands for the five-year program.

Part of the money from the Netherlands is for water and sanitation in schools, and the other part is for the victims of terrorism in Cabo Delgado, according to the Kingdom's Ambassador in Mozambique, Henny de Vries.

For her part, the director of the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation, Ginevra Letizia, foresees funding of more than 19 million dollars for the integrated requalification of the Chamanculo "C" neighborhood.

"In the coming years, we will extend our commitments in favor of the sustainable development of Maputo's disadvantaged neighborhoods," he assured.

The agreements were initialed as part of the World Water Day marked this Monday under the slogan "Preserving Water is Saving Lives.