PRESIDENT Samia Suluhu Hasaan has directed Dar es Salaam and Coast Regional Commissioners, as well as the Dar es Salaam Water and Sewerage Authority (Dawasa), to trace all tributaries of the Ruvu River Basin and clean up human activities, which interfere with the water sources.
The directive was issued by the Head of State yesterday in Dar es Salaam during the Clean Cooking Conference, further stating that human activities seriously threaten the livelihood of residents in the country’s commercial capital, Dar es Salaam.
She said the RCs must act fast to remove all human-related activities including, agriculture and livestock grazing near the river and any other water sources.
“There are several blocks in the basin that obstruct the flow of water; cleaning it up will be one of the immediate options to ensure a sufficient supply of clean water,” she stated.
However, she asserted that Dawasa had informed her that they had completed a clean-up last month, but that it was equally important to re-run the operation to ensure that no activities occurred along the basin.
“The main source of water decrease in the Ruvu river is our own actions as humans because residents near the river are cutting trees in large quantities, so water sources are drying up, and farmers have blocked the basin for irrigation and fish farming,” Ms Samia explained.
Dawasa announced that it currently pumps roughly 300 million litres of water a day, down from more than 466 million litres on daily basis equivalent to 64 per cent of the capacity.
The development has prompted the authority to implement emergency water rationing to ensure a large population gets access to the precious liquid.
Ruvu river which is one of the largest rivers in Tanzania and the main source of water for the two water plants is also experiencing drops in water levels. It is the main source of freshwater in Dar es Salaam, a business city with a population of over 5 million.
Earlier, Dar es Salaam Regional Commissioner Amos Makalla stated that, as directed by President Samia, they will inject 70 million litres from Kigamboni into 12 wells as part of a short-term solution to the city’s water rationing.
Similarly, President Samia directed Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa to oversee the cleanup activity and ensure that the water from Kigamboni is pumped into the well, as stated by Mr Makalla.
President Samia stated that while the government was taking several measures to address the issue, she also directed Dawasa and the Ministry of Water to rehabilitate worn-out infrastructure and to upgrade to accommodate the increased population.
Dawasa has also embarked on the implementation of the Kidunda dam water project in the Morogoro rural district, where the government has set aside 388bn/- for the project.
Apart from the Kidunda project, the Kimbiji water project involves the drilling of seven boreholes at Kigamboni worth 23bn/-. The project is nearing its completion.
The Kidunda project involves the construction of a dam, a pumping station, a water treatment plant, water control tanks, and various channels to draw water along the corridor.
