Ethiopia to increase potable water supply to Djibouti

ADDIS ABABA, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- The Ethiopian government said improvement activities are underway with a China-funded project to increase the amount of potable water supplied to neighboring Djibouti to 100,000 cubic meters per day.

The Ethiopian Ministry of Water and Energy said Sunday the Ethiopia-Djibouti cross-border potable water project, currently generating 20,000 cubic meters per day, is undergoing improvement activities to boost supplies, state-run Ethiopian News Agency (ENA) reported Tuesday.

The project, contracted by the Chinese company CGC Overseas Construction Group Co. Ltd (CGCOC), has been operating since 2017.

It is regarded as one of Africa's largest cross-border water projects, covering 258 kilometers from underground wells dug in Ethiopia's Somali region to Djibouti city, the capital of the Red Sea nation.

With an annual average of 200 millimeters of rainwater in most of its territory, Djibouti has always been in a chronic water stress situation.