Mozambique: Italy wil fund dam in central Mozambique 

(AGI) - Maputo, Sep 15 - Italy will finance with Euro60 million to build a new dam on the Pungue' River, central Mozambique, which this Southern African nation shares with neighboring Zimbabwe, the daily "Noticias" reveled today. The dam on the Pungue' River will, in addition to the production of electricity, irrigate 35000 hectares and enhance water supply capacity to the cities of Beira and Dondo, in the central province of Sofala. The Italian funding falls under the environmental sanitation program that the Government of Italy has supported. The infrastructure comprises the construction of a wall of 30 meters high and 1200 meters long, with a reservoir holding capacity of 190 million cubic meters of water. The construction will last four years. Mozambique, located downstream, in the Indian Ocean coast, suffers from cyclical floods and droughts and one of the reasons being the lack of water retention capacity as well as uncoordinated management of rivers with neighboring upstream countries. (AGI)