Govt allocates 4.7bn/- to improve water infrastructures

THE government has more than doubled budget allocation to the Rural Water Sanitation Agency (RUWASA) in Geita District for the 2023/24 financial year to carry out more water projects in the district.

Geita District Ruwasa manager, Sande Batakanwa said at a Community Based Water Services Organisations (CBWSOs) meeting that the government had allocated 4.7bn/- for 2023/24 up from 2.2bn/- set aside in the previous year.

Last year, the district planned to implement five large water projects and drill 13 deep wells.

He said Ruwasa in Geita District has so far completed 70 per cent of the planned projects for the financial year 2022/23 where eight out of 13 wells are already providing water service.

“In the next financial year, we have projects at five wards in the district namely; Nkome, Katoma, Nyamboge, Nzera and Lwezera.”

He added, Ruwasa in Geita District has already received a special drilling vehicle provided by the government through the Tanzania Covid Rescue Fund (TCRF) and it has already started working.

“We are going to drill as many wells as we can, and the drilling machine provided to us by President Dr Samia Suluhu Hassan will be stationed here in Geita,” Mr Batakanwa said.

He promised to cooperate with the leaders of CBWSOs to manage the implementation of the projects in order to achieve the objective of relieving mothers from the burden of fetching water.

The councillor of Lwamugasa Ward, Mr Joseph Kapalatu, said the implementation of water projects by Ruwasa through the participatory method has made the community see itself as part of the projects and benefit directly.