Government Inaugurates New Water Supply System in Laleia, Serving Approximately 2,700 People
The Minister of Public Works, Samuel Marçal, inaugurated the new water supply system for the Administrative Post of Laleia in Manatuto Municipality on September 26th, 2026. The system is designed to serve approximately 2,700 people across 450 households, as well as various public and community institutions.
The Vice-Minister of Finance, Regina de Jesus Sousa; the Secretary of State for Electricity, Water and Sanitation, Santos Noronha; the Chairman of the Board of Directors and CEO of Bee Timor-Leste, EP (BTL, EP), Gustavo da Cruz; the President of the Manatuto Municipal Authority, Luís Inácio Henrique Fernandes; and representatives of local authorities, community leaders, veterans, and members of the community attended the ceremony.
The new system serves the villages of Lifau and Haturalan and the hamlets of Uma-Rentau, Lenao, Uma-Klalan, Ralan, Weboro, and Uma-Iuk. In addition to household connections, the network provides water to local institutions and facilities, including the health centre, schools, the National Police of Timor-Leste station in Laleia, and the church.
The system, representing a total investment of US$764,900, uses groundwater extracted by drilling, with a capacity of 20 litres per second, and is divided into four supply zones. The infrastructure comprises 1.7 kilometres of transmission pipeline and 19.3 kilometres of distribution network.
Three reservoirs were also installed—one with a capacity of 409 cubic metres and two with a capacity of 48 cubic metres each—as well as 450 metres of household connections.
During the ceremony, the Minister of Public Works emphasised the importance of access to clean water for public health and for improving the population’s living conditions, stating that “when there is no water, it can cause disease, and water that is not clean can also cause disease. When we lack water, our bodies and our health are also affected. That is why water is so important.”
The inauguration took place as part of the celebrations marking the sixth anniversary of Bee Timor-Leste, EP, established by Decree-Law No. 41/2020 of September 25th, to ensure the administration of public water supply and basic sanitation services.
The President of BTL, EP, Gustavo da Cruz, noted that the new system addresses the difficulties in accessing water resources experienced in Laleia and called for cooperation between the community and the authorities to preserve the installed infrastructure.
The ceremony concluded with the symbolic inauguration of the system and a tour of the water storage and distribution facilities.
Legal Disclaimer:
EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
