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Govt clears land for geotechnical study for upcoming construction of Wastewater Treatment Plant in Dili

Govt clears land for geotechnical study for upcoming construction of Wastewater Treatment Plant in Dili

Image Tatoli/Camilio de Sousa

DILI, 20 january 2025 (TATOLI) – The Millennium Challenge Account Timor-Leste (MCA-TL), in collaboration with the Ministry of Public Works (MoPW), has begun clearing the land to carry out geotechnical study for the upcoming construction of the Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP), in Bebonuk village, Dili. 

The National Executive Director of Compact Development Team Timor-Leste, Ambassador Constancio Pinto said that 11 houses, two hotels (Ocean View and One Hour), and several warehouses had been demolished in order to clear the land for the construction of the WWTP.

A total of 5.5 hectares of land has been cleared in preparation for the construction of the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP).

Pinto said the geotechnical study would be carried out by Nicholas O’Dwyer, one of the largest engineering and environmental consultancies in Ireland.

Earlier, Pinto said that US$7 million had been made available to be awarded as compensation to families and businesses that had agreed to vacate their land for the implementation of the country’s first compact program – a US$420 million grant from the American people to design and build wastewater sanitation infrastructure in Dili.

When asked about the exact date of the groundbreaking ceremony for the multi-million-dollar project, Pinto said that it was previously scheduled for march 2025, but “unfortunately, we won’t be able launch it in march, so we’ll probably have to reschedule it for next year”.

In december 2022, the Timorese Government and U.S. Government’s Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) signed a Program Implementation Agreement (PIA) for the implementation of the Compact Agreement for Education, Sanitation, Water Supply, and Drainage Programs.

The signing of this implementation agreement represents an important step towards the beginning of the implementation of the MCC Compact, with a global amount of US$484 million, made up of US$420 million provided by the US government and US$64 million made available by the Timorese government.

This program, to be implemented over five years and with a total investment of US$484 million, has two main components, for the improvement of two very important areas for the development of Timor-Leste, education and sanitation, water supply, and drainage.

The water, sanitation, and drainage component aims to reduce the contamination of drinking water and groundwater, which can cause diseases and impede the well-being and health of children and adults. The project includes the construction of a factory to produce chemical disinfectants for the city’s water supply, construction of the country’s first central wastewater system, improvement of the drainage network for the capital Dili and four neighboring municipalities, policy and institutional reforms as well as social and behavioral changes to improve the sanitation system and water management at the household level.

The education component aims to improve the quality of high school education for students by improving high school education and school leadership across the country. The project will establish the country’s first formal initial teacher training certification institution, the Centre of Excellence, which will offer professional training and certification for future and current high school teachers and leaders. Investing in teacher training will lead to better high schools, with students who will be better prepared for jobs or post-high school education, and thus improve their ability to contribute to the economic growth of the country.

 

Journalist: Camilio de Sousa
Editor: Filomeno Martins

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