Minister pledges to solve water woes in Dar

TANGA: MINISTER for Water Jumaa Aweso has pledged that the ministry will ensure that citizens get clean, safe and sufficient water to meet their needs.

“I promise the citizens that the ministry will not be an obstacle for them to get clean, safe water to meet their needs,” he said during the official launch of the Tanga Urban Water Supply and Sanitation Authority (TANGAUWASA) water green bond ceremony held in Tanga, on Thursday.

Green Bond water infrastructure is implemented by the government in collaboration with the UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) and the Capital Market and Securities Authority (CMSA).

Mr Aweso said that the ministry will collaborate with the private sector to ensure that President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s campaign which aims at relieving women from water woes with a slogan of ‘Kumtua Mama Ndoo Kichwani’ is implemented.

Speaking about water woes currently facing Dar es Salaam Region, Mr Aweso said he will embark on a two-day working visit to all plants in the region to ensure water returns to normal states.

He also said that currently, the availability of water through the country’s water authorities is more than 90 per cent, adding that it is the right time for the water authorities to be independent and ensure that they look for various opportunities.

According to Mr Aweso, the ministry has gained great experience in the management of water projects including the Lake Victoria water project to Tabora, Igunga and Nzega worth 600bn/- , Arusha water project 520bn/-, and currently the ministry is implementing the Simiyu water project worth more than 400bn/-.

Minister Aweso also said that the ministry is now implementing the Kidunda dam water project worth 300bn/- to enhance the supply of water to Dar es Salaam and Coast regions. In a related development, Dar es Salaam Regional Commissioner, Albert Chalamila has directed the Dar es Salaam Water and Sanitation Authority (DAWASA) to ensure that water woes in the region are solved within a week.

“I give one week to DAWASA to ensure you bring to an end water woe in Dar es Salaam,” RC Chalamila said during the public meeting in Kinondoni on Wednesday.

Mr Chalamila said that due to heavy rains that caused floods in the Dar es Salaam, there must be enough water for citizens. He instructed DAWASA to work day and night to ensure that citizens have access to water.

Mr Chalamila also told DAWASA to solve the problem of fake bills imposed to customers. DAWASA Acting Head of Communications Ms Everlasting Lialo told the Tanzania Broadcasting Corporation (TBC) on Wednesday that the authority has started working on the challenges that cause some areas of the Dar es Salaam Region to lack water.

“DAWASA is at work to ensure that every citizen gets access to water service as before and we are working day and night to ensure that every citizen gets water due to improvements,”, she said.