MAPUTO, Oct. 10 (Xinhua) -- Mozambican Minister of Public Works, Housing and Water Resources Fernando Rafael has said that the government will, throughout the current five-year governance plan, invest in strategic water infrastructure to boost access to clean water and proper sanitation.

"The government is strongly committed to the construction and rehabilitation of strategic hydro infrastructures, including dams, small dams, dikes, and retention systems, which have a direct impact on the productive sectors, particularly agriculture and industry," the minister said Thursday at the Ministry Coordination Council.

According to the minister, the government will install 154 water systems and 133,000 new connections in villages and rural areas by the end of the current term, Radio Mozambique reported.

"The combination of these actions to expand access to clean water, increasing national coverage from the current 62 percent to 68 percent, and sanitation coverage from 37 percent to 47 percent, benefiting 5.6 million people across the country," added the minister.

The government's plan will also address the country's limited water storage capacity, a factor that exacerbates Mozambique's vulnerability to extreme events, including cyclical droughts. ■