Govt eyes water goal attainment
THE government’s targets to attain water availability in rural and urban areas come 2025 is slowly but surely becoming reality after it on Friday signed an agreement to implement the 145.7bn/- water project in Songea Municipality.
The project agreement signed between the government and China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation is part of the 1.073tri/- major project being implemented in 28 towns in the country.
According to the Ministry, so far the projects have started to be implemented in 24 towns and Songea municipality becomes the 25th one.
According to the Water Ministry, this is one of the historic projects being implemented in the country for the first time since independence.
Addressing the public during the signing ceremony at Songea Municipal Council, Ruvuma Region yesterday, the Deputy Minister for Water, Maryprisca Mahundi upon completion, the project will meet the water demand for people in the area for the next 22 years.
“It is projected that by 2045, Songea municipality and its suburbs will have a population of 440,794, while the water demand will be 45.581 million litres per day…so this project will meet the water needs for Songea residents and its suburbs by the said year,” she added.
According to her, the preliminary results unveiled by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) 2022, the Ruvuma Region has a population of about 1,848,794 million people while Songea and its suburbs have a population of 286,285 million people.
Based on the NBS results, the Deputy Minister noted that currently, the average water demand in the service area is 20.33 million litres per day which is for, industrial and institutional use.
Ms Mahundi also noted that the government’s moves in ensuring the availability of safe and clean water to Tanzanians is in the line with the ruling party Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) Election Manifesto 2020- 2025.
She further said the implementation of the project will increase water availability in the region from the current 83 per cent to 95 per cent.
The deputy minister also pointed out, an increase in population and poverty was the catalyst to environmental degradation which led to the drying up of the water sources.
Eng Mahundi, also reminded Ruvuma residents to protect water sources and the environment in general, to ensure the implemented projects are sustainable.
The Third National Five-Year Development Plan (FYDPIII) 2021/2022-2025/2026 has also focused on improving the availability and distribution of water supplies and sanitation services in urban and rural areas, and the protection of water sources and resource environment.
The key interventions highlighted in the plan include strengthening supply infrastructures for clean and safe water, establishing and strengthening the Community-Based Water Supply Organisations (CBWSOs) for enhancing the sustainability of rural water supply and sanitation services and promoting appropriate technologies for further treatment of effluent and sludge for recycling and re-use purposes.
Others are constructing strategic water reservoirs, promoting and supporting management, development and equitable utilisation of trans boundary water resources, strengthening conservation and protection programmes of water resources and water sources, strengthening water resources research systems, data collection, processing, storage and dissemination of water statistics and establish programmes and mechanisms for management, monitoring and assessment of water and wastewater quality;
For his part, Member of Parliament for Songea Urban who is also Minister for Constitution and Legal Affairs, Dr Damas Ndumbaro commended President Samia Suluhu for implementing her commitment to ensuring water availability in the region.
He also lauded the Minister for Water JumaAweso, her deputy Permanent Secretary for their cooperation.
Dr Ndumbaro called on the people of Songea to protect the water infrastructure to make the project sustainable.
Besides the project, the government is also implementing various water projects in districts through funding from either the government or development stakeholders.
It is implementing 218 water projects through the Covid -19 relief funds to make sure that water shortage becomes history.
