In Benin, the Nokoué project brings drinking water to residents
Audio 01:21
Fountain on the shores of Lake Nokoué.
© Jean-Luc Aplogan / RFI
Text by: RFI Follow
2 min
Lake Nokoué, the largest lake in southern Benin, with an area of around 150 km2, is home to six municipalities including the famous lakeside city Ganvié, one of the country's major tourist attractions.
For many years and lack of drinking water nearby, part of the 118,000 inhabitants of the region still drank the water from the lake.
Emmaus International has supported and financed an infrastructure for the production and distribution of drinking water and sanitation there.
The Nokoué project is today a participatory, well-managed and functioning model.
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With our correspondent in Benin,
Jean-Luc Aplogan
The day rises on the lakeside city of Ganvié and it is already very animated.
In this picturesque village dotted with houses on stilts, the boats sail on the lake, the floating market is already held with stalls of goods installed in the canoes.
An ambitious project
A little further on, there is a fire hydrant.
A woman in a canoe leaves with 50 liters of drinking water.
It cost him 25 CFA francs;
The days of jostling each other and spending two nights in front of distant boreholes are now an old memory.
Emmaus International validating here an ambitious drinking water and sanitation project, has built nine water towers and 95 sanitary blocks, these are public latrines.
And, if the management is satisfactory, it is because it is in the hands of the populations, according to José Hounsa, of Emmaus Benin: “
The populations are the alpha and the omega, the model is based on community management, everyone has a say, everyone watches over each other, this guarantees success, sustainability and longevity.
"
"
A look of love
"
For one of the managers, there is a second, cultural reason: “
In our community, we are ashamed of embezzlement.
If you take the people's money and run away, we'll see one of your uncles to tell him this kid is messing up your family, they'll bring him back.
"
In total, 80% of people enjoy it on Lake Nokoué.
Jean-Marie Ahissou, member of a local management committee dreams of a goal of 100%.
To achieve this, he still asks "
a look of love from Emmaus international
".
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To read also: Benin: the lower valley of Ouémé, a vital but threatened biosphere reserve
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