Lake Victoria basin board steps up water protection efforts

DODOMA: THE Lake Victoria Basin Water Board (LVBWB) has intensified efforts to protect water resources and improve access to safe water in both urban and rural areas within the Lake Victoria Basin.

Speaking in Dodoma recently while presenting the board’s implementation report for the 2025/26 financial year, the board’s Director, Dr Renatus Shinhu, said several initiatives have been undertaken to safeguard water sources and ensure sustainable utilisation of the resource.

He said in 2025 the board protected 25 water sources by installing permanent beacons and warning signboards to strengthen conservation efforts and ensure the continued availability of safe water for communities and economic activities.

Moreover, six water sources have been proposed for official declaration as protected areas to further enhance conservation efforts.

“The board has a major responsibility to manage water resources and ensure water sources are protected, particularly in the face of climate change challenges,” Dr Shinhu said.

The board has issued 1,396 water-use permits for various sectors to ensure equitable and sustainable utilisation of the resource.

He said the permits support activities such as agriculture, livestock keeping and industrial operations, where users are authorised to abstract water and discharge wastewater into the environment under regulated conditions.

The move, he explained, is aimed at controlling pollution and ensuring the water environment remains safe and sustainable.

“Our goal is to control pollution and ensure water environments remain stable so that water resources continue to be conserved and sustainably utilised for the benefit of all,” Dr Shinhu said.

He explained that water distribution follows the National Water Policy of 2002 and the revised 2025 policy, which prioritise water for domestic use before environmental needs such as ecosystems and vegetation.

The board has also expanded its water monitoring network through the installation of about 90 hydrological and telemetry stations across rivers and lakes within the basin.

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The stations collect data on water flow, volume and depth to help experts make informed decisions on floods, drought and water-use planning.

Some monitoring stations are located along the Duma, Mori, Ngono, Mwisa and Kagera rivers, as well as the New Sola and Manchira dams and Lake Victoria.

Dr Shinhu said the board is also collaborating with regional partners through the Nile Basin Initiative, a regional platform that coordinates water resource management among countries within the Nile Basin.

Through this partnership, Tanzania has installed eight modern water-monitoring stations in tributaries flowing into Lake Victoria, enabling daily data collection to support effective water management.

“These data help experts understand water trends and make sound decisions on sustainable utilisation of the resource,” he said.

The board has also conducted groundwater exploration in several regions, including Simiyu, Mwanza, Mara and Kagera, identifying potential sites for water development. In Maswa District, two dams, Bugarama and Mwamashindike have been constructed to support domestic water supply, livestock and irrigation farming.

Meanwhile, in collaboration with the Vice-President’s Office (Environment), the board removed invasive aquatic weeds from Lake Victoria, clearing 1,005.05 tonnes of Salvinia and 10,368 tonnes of Lutende to improve fishing and water transport activities.