Minister of Public Works present sector plan and program to the Prime Minister
The Minister of Public Works, Salvador Soares dos Reis Pires, accompanied by the General Directors of Public Works Ministry, met with the Prime Minister, Taur Matan Ruak, in July 20th 2020, in the Government Palace, in Dili, to present him the sector plan and program for 2021.
During the meeting, the Minister of Public Works informed the Head of the Government about the planned activities in the areas of water and sanitation, electricity and roads, to be inserted in the preparation of the State General Budget (OGE) for 2021.
Besides the information on the preparation activities related to State General Budget (OGE) for 2020 and 2021, the contribution of the Ministry of Public Works for the Economic Recovery Plan, that will be implemented in 2021, with investments in roads, and water and electricity infrastructure, was also addressed to in the meeting.
Salvador Pires also report the reconstruction and rehabilitation activities of the infrastructures affected by the floods in March and May 2020. Of the interventions to address the impacts of the floods in March, in Dili, among others activities, is included the repair of damaged water supply system, drainage cleaning, normalization and silting the streams and the construction of retaining walls. On the South Coast, roads and bridges, affected by the floods in May, are under rehabilitation projects.
In terms of access to clean water, there are 21 projects are ready to be implemented, which should start in 2021.
Regarding to rural roads, the rehabilitation of 270 km of roads is planned during next year. The rural roads rehabilitation program will be funded by the Ministry of Public Works Budget and will have technical assistance provided by the Roads for Development (R4D) project, promoted by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and financed by the Australian Government. The technical assistance will be provided through the National Directorate of Roads, Bridges and Flood control.
In relation to the electricity, 33 projects are ready, for which the procurement processes have already begun and more projects are also being studied, that may also be included in the State General Budget 2021, with the aim of allowing access to electricity for the population of the whole country. The installation of new electric lines, will be covering almost all municipalities and will be carried out in phases, starting with the sucos that are closest to the power distribution lines.
The procurement process for fuel purchase contract, for the Hera and Betano power plants, for a three-year period, between December 2020 to December 2023, approved by the Council of Ministers in the meeting of June 24th 2020, is also in progress, through the National Procurement Commission (CNA).
Also included in 2021 plan is the increase in the public lighting network. In Dili, public lighting is already been placed in the eastern part of the city. There are still several areas missing, in the western part of the city, whose implementation will be included in the State General Budget for 2021. The extension of this program to the remaining municipalities is still dependent on the increasing of financial resources in the State General Budget for 2021, by the Political Review Committee (CROP).
