Tanzania steps up efforts to establish National Water Grid

SHANDONG: TANZANIA is stepping up plans to establish a National Water Grid aimed at linking major water sources across the country to guarantee a reliable water supply for economic growth.

In preparations for the establishment of the National Water Grid, the Minister for Water Jumaa Aweso has travelled to China where he visited the country’s National Water Grid system to learn how large water sources, including rivers and lakes, are interconnected from the northern to southern parts of the country.

Aweso, accompanied by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Water, Mwajuma Waziri, and other sector officials, travelled to Shandong Province in northern China to observe how the large-scale system integrates water resources into a national supply network.

The visit forms part of the ministry’s efforts to implement Tanzania’s planned National Water Grid, which will channel water from major sources such as Lake Victoria, Lake Tanganyika, Lake Nyasa, as well as key rivers including Rufiji River, Ruvuma River, Ruvu River, Wami River, Kiwira River, Kagera River and Pangani River.

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Some of the projects already forming part of the initiative include the Tabora water project, the Same–Mwanga–Korogwe water supply project, the Kiwira water project and a major scheme to supply water from Lake Victoria to Dodoma.

The National Water Grid plan is part of directives issued by President Samia Suluhu Hassan and is also aligned with the government’s election manifesto and the country’s long-term development strategy, Vision 2050, which seeks to ensure water resources play a key role in driving Tanzania’s economic development.