RUWASA celebrates Water Week with 1,500 tree planting in Simanjiro
SIMANJIRO: THE Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (RUWASA) in Simanjiro District, Manyara Region, has marked Water Week by planting more than 1,534 trees around various water sources to enhance protection and conservation efforts.
Speaking during the exercise held recently in Lengungumwa hamlet, Nyumba ya Mungu village, Acting RUWASA District Manager, Engineer Wilson Mollel, said 100 seedlings were planted in that particular area.
“Planting these trees is part of deliberate government efforts, implemented through the district, to protect water sources and conserve the environment,” he said.
He noted that the initiative is ongoing and aligns with the 2026 Water Week theme, “Water and Gender,” which emphasises that protecting and conserving water sources is a shared responsibility.
Eng Mollel also raised concern over harmful human activities near water sources, including farming, tree cutting, and livestock grazing, which he said contribute to drought and damage to water infrastructure.
“Such practices are unacceptable and must be avoided to ensure the sustainability of water resources,” he stressed.
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Meanwhile, the Chairperson of the Community-Based Water Supply Organisation (CBWSO), Mr Patrick Mbogo, presented an implementation report on the Lengungumwa water project, noting that it has been completed and now serves approximately 736 residents from the hamlet and surrounding areas.
He added that the project has generated revenue of 14.6m/- over a six-month period. Ngorika Ward Executive Officer, Ms Getrude Shauri, who officiated the event, commended the sixth-phase government under President Dr Samia Suluhu Hassan for improving access to clean and safe water through such initiatives.
She noted that before the project, women were forced to walk long distances in search of water.
Ms Shauri further urged residents to continue protecting water sources and conserving the environment to ensure sustainable access to water and help mitigate the effects of climate change.
