Component 3

In April and May of 2026, four separate teams from the Dutch Water Authorities ( DWA) visited Mozambique as part of the ongoing Blue Deal programme. Together, they covered the whole country, working side by side with the Mozambican Water Authorities (ARAs) and the National Directorate of Water Resources (DNGRH).

Each team focused on a specific theme: long-term programme planning, water quality and licensing, asset management, and urban drainage. Here’s an overview of what each working visit delivered.

Planning for the next phase (2027–2030)

A team consisting of Marijke Jaarsma, Nila Taminiau, Oscar van Zanten and Germain Bakker visited ARA Norte, ARA Centro and ARA Sul to gather input for the Multi-Annual Plan (MAP) for the next phase of the Blue Deal programme. The plan introduces a shift from working with “components” to “tracks”, each focused on clear outcomes such as improved data management or more effective water licensing.

At each location, the team facilitated interactive workshops in which ARA staff identified priorities, realistic targets and the activities needed to reach them by 2030. Engagement was strong at all three locations.

In Maputo, the visit concluded during Mozambican Women’s Day celebrations, offering a memorable moment as DWA colleagues joined the festivities.

A draft Multi-Annual Plan will be discussed during a partnership meeting in July or August.

Water quality and licensing workshop

Bert Jager and Robert Boonstra focused on water quality regulation, licensing and the enforcement of effluent discharge - one of the most complex issues in Mozambique’s water sector.

In Maputo, a two-day workshop at DNGRH brought together staff from all ARAs, DNGRH and partner organisations. Participants exchanged experiences on implementing Decree 52/2023, which governs effluent discharge standards, and discussed gaps in current licensing and enforcement practices.

The team then travelled to Nampula to meet ARA Norte and partners to explore the creation of a taskforce to address the impacts of artisanal gold mining upstream of Murrupula, which is causing sedimentation and water quality issues. A field visit to the mining area provided valuable first-hand insights.

ARA Norte will temporarily lead this taskforce, with support from the Blue Deal programme.

Urban drainage and aquatic plant control in Beira

Another DWA team visited Beira to collaborate with the Beira Autonomous Sanitation Unit (SASB) and the NGO FACE.

Ytzen Faber, Martin Bos and Jan den Besten focused on practical challenges in managing Beira’s urban drainage system, which faces ongoing pressure from flooding, solid waste and invasive aquatic plants.

The team attended a community meeting in the Inhamizua neighbourhood, where a short play highlighting the risks of emptying pit latrines into drainage channels attracted strong public engagement.

FACE is now developing a proposal for floating barriers to capture waste before it clogs drainage infrastructure, building on an earlier Red Cross pilot. SASB presented its mapping of the city’s canal network and outlined plans for ditch cleaning ahead of the 2026–2027 rainy season.

A dedicated workshop explored two approaches to controlling aquatic plant growth in retention basins: raising water levels to limit reed growth and introducing controlled seawater inflow during dry periods. This resulted in three pilot proposals for canals and basins across the city.

Asset management training

In Maputo, a four-day asset management training took place at DNGRH, bringing together participants from ARA Norte, ARA Centro, ARA Sul, DNGRH and the Higher Polytechnic Institute of Songo (ISPS).

Asset management focuses on planning and maintaining water infrastructure - such as dikes, small dams and canals - in a structured, data-driven way that balances costs, risks and performance over time.

Trainers Pier Schaper and Jan den Besten introduced the core principles before participants worked in mixed groups to develop initial Operation & Maintenance (O&M) plans for small dams within each ARA.

These draft plans will be further refined and validated. At the same time, the ARAs are developing a tool to collect and store small dam inspection data via tablet or phone, synchronising it with a central cloud database.

Common threads and next steps

While the four working visits addressed different themes, several shared priorities emerged: the need for a functional national water database, stronger coordination between institutions, and a clear pathway for sustainable progress beyond the Blue Deal programme, which concludes in 2030.

Next steps already underway include a HydroNET training in June, a hydrometry blended learning programme from August to October, continued licensing reforms with DNGRH, and a partnership meeting in July or August to agree on priorities for the 2027-2030 Multi-Annual Plan.

Originally published in: https://dutchwaterauthorities.com/news/working-visits-april-may-2026-mozambique/

At the end of April, technical staff from ARA-Sul, IP (Mozambique) and JRBA (Eswatini) came together to address the challenges posed by the transboundary Umbeluzi River, in an initiative facilitated by the Blue Deal Mozambique and Eswatini programmes.

The meeting focused on exchanging experiences and best practices in hydroclimatological monitoring systems, while strengthening technical and institutional capacities in hydrological data management and response mechanisms to extreme events. This is increasingly important as climate variability intensifies and severe hydrometeorological events occur more frequently.

Reinforcing regional transboundary cooperation

This meeting forms part of the second phase of both Blue Deal programmes, which also support initiatives such as the REMCOconferences, the GLOW project, and communities of practice (CoP) aimed at the integrated and sustainable management of shared watercourses.

The first session of this cooperation focused on assessing the current state of hydroclimatic monitoring networks in the Umbeluzi Basin. It identified key operational challenges, as well as the need to rehabilitate and modernise priority monitoring stations to enable joint data collection.

Participants also explored opportunities to improve interoperability of the HydroNET platform and to strengthen data-sharing mechanisms between the two institutions.

In addition, the session laid the foundations for developing a joint action plan, including priority intervention areas, institutional responsibilities and the next steps for implementing agreed activities.

The agreements reached are expected to contribute to more efficient water management in both countries, with a particular impact in the Maputo region, where the Umbeluzi River serves as both a vital water supply source and an area prone to flooding.

Originally published in: https://dutchwaterauthorities.com/news/joining-forces-on-cross-border-water-management-in-mozambique-and-eswatini/

In November of this year, the Blue Deal Partnership held a strategic meeting in Maputo to analyse the programme's new organisational structure and discuss the 2026 annual plan. This meeting was a continuation of the consultation process that began in the middle of the year regarding the programme's restructuring and improvement of its efficiency.

A new organisational setup

During the meeting, the partnership reviewed a new organisational structure designed to work on specific “tracks”. The aim of this reorganisation is to make the focus clearer, improve the alignment between all partners, and optimise how activities are coordinated in the future.

The 2026 annual plan

A preliminary version of the 2026 plan was presented and discussed. Under the new "tracks" framework, most of the activities proposed for the upcoming year are direct continuations of initiatives started by the partnership in previous years.

Partnership introspection and cooperation

The partnership meeting served as a moment of reflection on the program's results. It was agreed that the component leaders ( DWA representatives) will continue to work closely with the Mozambican water management entities to identify areas of success and areas for improvement within the programme.

The meeting also provided an opportunity to strengthen the ties between the Blue Deal and other Dutch interventions in water resources management in Mozambique.

Mr Ivo Van Haren, the representative from the Embassy of the Netherlands, attended the meeting and provided an update on the planned actions of the Dutch Commission for Environmental Assessment (NCEA) in Mozambique. This was an important announcement for the water sector, as some of the Commission's actions aim to improve environmental impact assessments and reduce pollution at the Chicamba dam caused by gold mining — an issue that the Blue Deal partnership has been addressing for a few years.

Ensuring Regular Dialogue

The partnership meeting in November reinforced the need for constant consultation with local partners in order to assess progress, gather suggestions for improvement, and ensure better implementation of the programme.

The Blue Deal programme organises these partnership meetings regularly to ensure transparency and consistent progress. The event in November follows one held in June of this year. Further strategic meetings are planned for the upcoming year to monitor the implementation of activities scheduled for 2026.

A delegation from the Blue Deal Program Office in The Hague and Dutch Water Authorities (DWA) visited Mozambique last November. The team, comprising Marieke van Nood (Blue Deal Programme Director), Martin Bos (Blue Deal Mozambique Partnership Director), Jan den Besten (Hunze en Aas), and Ytzen Faber (Wetterskip Fryslan), went to Beira to see how working with the Autonomous Sanitation Service of Beira (SASB) was going and to take part in the REMCO Conference, where important discussions about transboundary water management took place.

Partnering with SASB for financial sustainability

A part of the mission in Beira focused on discussing the financial future of the SASB. The discussion covered a wide array of topics in this regard, such as the increase in operational costs as new infrastructure becomes operational, the strong push towards professionalisation through good governance and the establishment of a new regulatory framework. These are just a few of the actions that would lead SASB in becoming a sustainable company.

Decentralizing the sanitation chain

The Blue Deal, DWA, and SASB teams also looked at the really important issue of decentralised sanitation in Beira.

A survey done in May 2025 showed that 65% of sludge lacks proper treatment.

To combat this environmental and health hazard, the partnership is launching a subsidy pilot project (by the FACE Association). The plan is to improve the sanitation chain by giving the city residents a reason to properly empty latrine pits and make sure the sludge is put in the right places, which are run by SASB.

Canal cleaning and infrastructure expansion

Flood prevention remains a top priority for the city of Beira, and currently 20-metre-wide canals are being constructed to improve the city's drainage.

At the SASB premises, the delegation planned the yearly drainage canal cleaning operation. The Blue Deal has been providing support to SASB (and FACE) on this matter for a few years and will continue to do so.

During the visit in November, the team explored alternative solutions to combat the rapid regrowth of vegetation, including the possibilities of using a mowing boat for the maintenance of the (new) retention basins and possibly also for the wider canals.

REMCO 2025

The mission concluded in Maputo with the REMCO 2025 conference, held from November 3 to 7.

As is customary, this year's conference – hosted by ARA Sul,IP and supported by three Blue Deal partnerships (Mozambique, South Africa and Eswatini) – focused on transboundary water management cooperation between these three countries.

Approximately 200 attendees were present, including representatives from the Blue Deal Office at Hague and Blue Deal delegations from Ethiopia, Mozambique, Eswatini, South Africa, Germany and partner organisations in the field of water management.

The Mozambican partnership was represented at the event by the aforementioned DWA representatives and Marijke Jaarsma (Waterschap Vallei en Veluwe), who moderated two sessions: one on digital cooperation among riparian states and one on the Blue Deal programme and African partnerships.

The conference concluded with a field visit, during which participants had the opportunity to learn more about the efforts of REPENSAR, an organisation developing several environmental conservation actions in the Maputo Basin.

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The mission effectively connected operational improvements on the ground in Beira with high-level strategic discussions in Maputo.

The visit to Beira and Maputo provided a valuable opportunity for key personnel to meet in person and share their wide-ranging experiences. From the programme director to representatives from the Blue Deal partnerships and other entities, both cities were viewed as places offering valuable and memorable experience.

Effective water resource management encompasses more than just infrastructure management. Transparency, sensitization, and building trust with the people who rely on these vital resources are equally important. As part of their ongoing commitment to fostering stronger relationships with water users, the Regional Water Authorities (ARAs) of Mozambique have been carrying out a wide range of communication activities.

These activities, supported by the Blue Deal Mozambique, aim to transform the way the ARAs present themselves to the public, ensuring their image accurately reflects the critical work being carried out.

Continuously learning together

At the heart of the Blue Deal's communication efforts is an active Community of Practice (CoP), which brings together communication professionals from the three ARAs (and now also the DNGRH) for regular online meetings to share insights about their ongoing and planned activities. In July of this year, the group met in person, in Maputo, to continue sharing experiences and developing their skills.

The live meeting addressed the theoretical and practical challenges of communication in Mozambique's public sector. This prompted the CoP to discuss the role of communication in mergers and crises, how bureaucracy can affect creativity, and to explore strategies for carrying out communication activities on a low budget.

The gathering also served as a practical workshop, in which CoP members participated in a short media training session focusing on interview techniques. They also engaged in practical sessions covering foundational photography techniques and the use of artificial intelligence for content generation.

On the final day of the CoP gathering in July, the CoP visited one of the major water users to discuss groundwater usage and the polluter pays principle.

Building skills in multimedia content creation

In October, following the July meeting in Maputo, one of ARA-Sul's communications experts led an in-depth multimedia training session for  ARA-Norte,IP and  ARA-Centro,IP. Equipped with new skills in graphic design, video editing and photography, these two ARAs are now better able to create content explaining licensing procedures, providing real-time flood warnings and educating the public on water conservation.

Looking Ahead

The ARAs are fostering a culture of transparency and openness, whether by engaging in face-to-face dialogue with major water users or launching communication campaigns for the wider community. The Blue Deal partnership in Mozambique will continue these critical actions, building and maintaining strong and active relations between water managers and water users.

In June, technical staff from the Southern Regional Water Authority (ARA-Sul, IP) and the Northern Regional Water Authority (ARA-Norte, IP) gathered for specialised training sessions focusing on the WE-HARP tool. These sessions, supported by the Blue Deal and facilitated by FutureWater, marked a significant step forward in how water abstraction licenses are currently evaluated in these regions.

Integrating data and modelling

The WE-HARP tool is a custom-built application designed to bridge the gap between administrative data and complex hydrological modelling.

During the training sessions, participants learnt how to use this tool to link the existing Water Resources Information System (SIRHA) with the Water Evaluation and Planning (WEAP) models. They were also shown how this tool can simulate the impact of new water licence requests for agricultural, industrial or domestic use on the water balance of an entire river basin.

Water governance through data-Driven permitting

Adopting WE-HARP enables ARA-Sul and ARA-Norte to transition to a data-driven approach to water management in Southern and Northern Mozambique. This tool enables staff to calculate precise impacts of new abstractions on reservoir levels and existing users, while simulating drought scenarios to protect environmental flows and water supply.

By automating complex processes, this tool allows even non-experts at the two ARAs to carry out in-depth assessments and clearly communicate their decisions to stakeholders.

Securing water for tomorrow

The WE-HARP training in June 2025 marks a significant step towards modernising water licensing by ARA-Sul and ARA Norte. By incorporating the WE-HARP tool into their daily operations, the Water Resources Departments of both ARAs are now better positioned to balance increasing water demands with environmental sustainability, thus ensuring a secure water supply in the future.

Effective water management is a global challenge that requires a combination of local expertise and international cooperation. In Mozambique, a country that is vulnerable to both floods and droughts, strengthening the technical capacity of water boards and communities is key to finding a solution to these issues.

As part of the Blue Deal programme in Mozambique, two vital Communities of Practice (CoPs) have been meeting regularly to exchange knowledge and develop skills in water conservation and dike management. This year, the two CoPs, comprising professionals from ARA-Sul,IP, ARA-Centro,IP, ARA-Norte,IP, DNGRH and ISPS , came together for two important occasions: a collaborative meeting in Tete and a working visit to the Netherlands.

From online meetings to gaining on-the-ground knowledge

Early in April, the combined CoPs held a three-day working session in Tete, focusing mostly on the practical realities of water conservation infrastructure in Mozambique.

The sessions were dominated by the experiences of ISPS in building sand dams and the “10,000 Small Dams” initiative of the Mozambican government, which is being implemented by the three ARAs.

The CoPs brainstormed strategies to standardise the development of these small dams and reservoirs, emphasising that these structures cannot be built in isolation. Previous construction projects have shown that strong local community involvement, particularly from women, is important at every stage - from site selection to maintenance. This ensures that these structures meet real needs and have a long lifespan.

Tasks such as creating a centralised database of small dams, developing construction manuals, and organizing training programmes for the local committees responsible for maintaining these structures, among other things, were established as priorities by the CoPs at the end of this meeting.

This collaborative work, alongside previous dike management and water conservation actions under the Blue Deal partnership in Mozambique, culminated in members of the CoPs visiting the Netherlands in June to learn more about water management in practical terms.

Learning from Dutch Water Experts

In June, a delegation of Mozambican water professionals visited the Netherlands. The aim of the visit was to learn how a country that is known for laying below sea level manages its flood defences and water retention.

The visit was an eye-opener regarding dike management. The Mozambican team was particularly impressed by the Dutch institutional model. They found out that, unlike in Mozambique, where maintenance is sometimes outsourced or non-existent, the Dutch Water Authorities  often have dedicated in-house units with their own equipment and personnel. Furthermore, the concept of “beneficiary contribution”, whereby all residents pay a tax specifically for dike maintenance, sparked discussions on how similar financial mechanisms could be adapted in Mozambique.

From a technical perspective, the delegation visited the renowned Dutch sea dikes, where the use of specific vegetation and sheep grazing as a cost-effective, nature-based solution for maintaining grass cover on the slopes, was particularly impressive. The team also received training in using drones for cross-sectional profiling and volume calculations. This is an essential skill for modernising the way Mozambique monitors its dikes.

In terms of water conservation, the group explored techniques to increase groundwater infiltration and reduce surface runoff. The programme also included visits to pumping stations, ecological restoration projects and the “Baakse Beek”, with the aim of finding out how the Netherlands manages water availability during periods of drought, which is an increasingly important issue even in its humid climate.

Looking Ahead

The combination of the Tete meeting and the interchange in the Netherlands outlined a clear path for the coming years.

All Mozambican partners returned with concrete action plans, including establishing dike maintenance units, mapping beneficiaries for potential co-funding, developing annual bulletins about dike conditions, creating a national database of dikes and small dams, and fostering scientific research on these structures, among other things.

The Blue Deal partnership in Mozambique will continue to collaborate closely with these organisations as these actions are carried out through the coming years.

In Mozambique, the regional water authorities (ARAs) are undertaking impactful water licensing campaigns with support from the Blue Deal program. These campaigns aim to promote sustainable water use, regulatory compliance, fair access across key river basins, and improve ARAs financial sustainability.

In the footsteps of ARA-Sul, IP, ARA-Norte, IP and ARA-Centro,IP started launching targeted communication campaigns designed not just to inform about their duties and responsibilities but to inspire water users to get licensed and pay for the exploitation of water.

Direct engagement with water users and the development of trust

Focused on promoting “Safe and Healthy Water”, ARA Norte’s campaign focused on visiting farmers, industrial users, and private water providers to answer their questions, explain their legal obligations, and help them register on the spot. Supported by radio, TV, and community meetings, this hands-on approach built trust and led to a significant increase in licensing applications and compliance.

On the other hand, also aiming at behavioural change, ARA Centro,IP turned to radio campaigns to call for the licensing of water users in the three river basins under its authority and promote a better understanding of the ARAs' role.

Inclusive water management

It is estimated that the ARA Norte,IP and ARA Centro,IP campaigns reached well over 500,000 people across the river basins under their management. These campaigns broke down language barriers and social exclusion, with messages delivered through face-to-face interactions, radio and TV, in both the official language (Portuguese) and local dialects.

Expanded understanding of water governance and the road ahead

These campaigns prompted the need for increased engagement with communities and led to the application of new water users, who started to see the water licensing process not as bureaucracy, but as a necessary action to ensure its sustainable exploitation. Developing deeper community partnerships to support inclusive water governance and further identification of water users are key activities for ARAs Customer Service Departments. The Blue Deal partnership will continue working on these subjects with the ARAs, as they plan to carry on their communication activities and direct outreach for this year. 

The introduction of SIRHA, a digital water users information system developed by iCarto with support from Blue Deal and Galician Cooperation, has transformed the way Mozambican water authorities track water consumption, issue licences, and effectively engage with water users.

In this video, Teodomiro Cabral explains how ARA-Sul,IPis using the tool to automate processes across their different departments. 

As part of the Blue Deal partnership, Mozambican water authorities (ARAs) were trained in WEAP and HydroNET. Integrated into the GLOW project, these tools support real-time forecasting, scenario planning and improved responses to drought and flood risks.

In the video, Ernesto Tivane and David Mucambe, from ARA-Sul,IP, explain how these critical tools for data-driven water management are enabling local water authorities to anticipate and respond to droughts, floods and growing water demands.