In April 2025, a delegation of water quality experts visited Mozambique to continue collaborating on water quality subjects under the Blue Deal partnership. During this mission, Oscar van Zanten, Eva Ruiter, and Jan van de Graaf focused on several key goals.
The delegation evaluated the progress of the water quality blended learning approach. They also looked at the introduction of innovative practices for water quality testing. Finally, they discussed the implementation of water quality management regulations.
Expanding water quality knowledge through blended learning
In previous years, the Blue Deal partnership introduced an e-learning course on water quality monitoring. This working visit served as an opportunity to evaluate the first phase of the online course and launch its second phase. The course has now been expanded to include a new module on aquatic ecosystems and biodiversity, and a final test. A personalised certificate is automatically generated if the student answers more than 70% of the questions correctly.
The full e-learning course can be found here in english and here in portuguese.
During the visit to ARA-Sul,IP in Maputo and ARA-Centro,IP in Tete, a short introductory course on ecology supported the introduction of the second phase of blended learning - an approach that is contributing to the development of a strong base of technical capacity within the ARAs. During a meeting with Bernabé Fondo (Freshwater Program Manager) and Antonio Serra (Landscape designer) of the World Wide Fund for Nature ( WWF), the e-learning course was also introduced to them. They responded very enthusiastically and will use the e-learning course to train WWF staff.
Introducing innovative techniques for water quality monitoring
A further goal for this visit was to test new tools for water quality monitoring in the field.
As part of ongoing efforts, in the last quarter of 2024, the Dutch Water Authorities ( DWA) provided ARA- Centro, IP with simple, low-cost handheld meters. During a field trip to the Zambezi River, ARA-Centro, IP used these devices to assess their usability in combination with the smartphone app Aquality. Further information can be found here.
With many monitoring sites located in remote areas and poor road access in the country, transporting water samples for analysis is often impractical. Limited laboratory capacity exacerbates this problem. In these cases, portable hand-held meters can provide reliable readings and provide an effective alternative for collecting data in addition to the laboratory analyses.
Wastewater discharge and the polluter pays principle
In Maputo, the Dutch team met with teams from ARA Sul, IP andDNGRH. Discussions with these two organisations focused on the implementation of Decree 52/2023, which regulates water quality standards and wastewater discharge. Technical inspections and pilot enforcement actions by ARA- Sul, IP have shown that there are challenges in applying this regulation, especially the polluter pays principle. This calls for urgent discussions between the ARAs and the DNGRH on this issue and a possible revision of the decree.
DNGRH is working on a proposal for water tariffs and has requested DWA to give more support. The new proposal will then be submitted to the Cabinet.
Strengthening water data management
The visit also covered water data management, with a particular focus on the development of SNIRH (National System of Information on National Water Resources) and the implementation of HydroNET. Further discussions on data management and visualisation will be conducted and harmonised between the different themes within the partnership.
Other activities related to water quality
As part of the Water Quality component, the Blue Deal Mozambique is working to address water pollution from gold mining in the Buzi and Pungwe river basins. Since 2023, stakeholder meetings have been organised to facilitate collaboration between ARA Centro and other government agencies, farmers, and miners. These discussions have led to the ongoing development of an action plan, focused on licensing companies and monitoring wastewater discharge, raising mining operators' awareness, and strengthening the integrated multisectoral management of the Buzi and Pungwe river basins. We're planning to keep working on this issue with a working visit and a live stakeholder meeting in August this year.
