Innovative Water Solutions Improve Living Standards Across Mozambique

Communities in Mabalane, in Mozambique’s semi-arid Gaza Province, face extreme challenges accessing safe drinking water, despite living along the Limpopo River. Groundwater lies deep, available systems are costly, and the water is often too salty to drink. As a result, families walk long distances to dig for water in the sandy riverbed, exposing themselves, especially women and children, to dangers such as crocodiles and unsafe surface water during the rainy season.

World Vision Mozambique is introducing a sustainable solution: sand abstraction technology, which extracts naturally filtered water from deep layers of river sand. Using a subterranean filter and solar-powered pump, the system will deliver clean water to reservoirs and distribution points within communities.

The technology will reduce walking distances, eliminate the need to share water sources with animals, and improve household hygiene and safety. It will also support small-scale irrigation and strengthen food security in this drought-prone district. Simple, affordable, and resilient to climate change, this marks the first sand abstraction system in Mozambique, bringing renewed hope to families in Mabalane.