Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz on Wednesday opened a hydraulic facility which will pump water from the Senegal River over 200 kilometers (120 miles) south to the parched capital Nouakchott.

The head of state launched the new water supply by opening the main pumping station of project "Aftout Sahli", some 17 kilometers north of here.

The pipes are designed to transport 170,000 cubic metres of water per day, according to technicians.

The 452 million US dollar (340 million euro) project, realised after four years, was funded by several Arab and Islamic donors.

It is aimed at "definitively" solving the water supply problem in the capital until 2030, goverment has said.

Nouackhott, home to some 900,000 people, faces a chronic water shortage. Up until now water was supplied from the Idini water table 60 kilometers east of the capital.

The new facilities include, the pumping station, a water tower with a capacity of 129,000 cubic metres, and a water treatment plant on the Senegal River which separates Mauritania and Senegal.