Water project to benefit 456,000 residents

DODOMA: MORE than 456,000 people are expected to benefit from expanded access to clean and safe water once all phases of the Same, Mwanga-Korogwe water project are completed, with the government preparing the next phase to extend services to remaining areas.

Deputy Minister for Water, Kundo Mathew, said the government would undertake feasibility studies and detailed designs during the 2026/27 financial year before mobilising funds for the second phase of the project.

Mathew revealed this in the National Assembly in Dodoma yesterday when answering a basic question from Charles Njama (Korogwe, CCM) who wanted to know when residents of Korogwe Urban would start receiving water from the Same-Mwanga-Korogwe project.

He said the first phase of the project from Nyumba ya Mungu Dam in Mwanga District, Kilimanjaro Region, had been completed at a cost of 406.1bn/-.

According to him, the first phase currently benefits more than 96,213 residents in Same and Mwanga towns, as well as 10 villages in the two districts.

“During this financial year, the government will conduct feasibility studies and detailed designs to extend water services to all remaining areas, including five villages in Korogwe District,” he said.

Mathew said after completion of the designs, the government would begin mobilising funds for the second phase of the project.

He added that upon completion of both phases, the project is expected to serve more than 456,931 people in Same and Mwanga towns and 38 villages.

Of the 38 villages, 21 are in Mwanga District, 12 are in Same District and five are in Korogwe District.

In a supplementary question, the lawmaker raised concerns over delays in other major water projects in Korogwe Urban, including the Ndemaha project and the 28- town water project.

He said the Ndemaha project, which involves laying pipelines from the water source to the treatment plant, had stalled partly because of delays in payments to the contractor.

According to the MP, the contractor was owed 222m/- and pipes had already been at the site for nearly three months without being laid.

He also asked when residents would receive water from the 28- town project, which had previously been expected to be completed in March, then July and later October.

Responding, Eng Mathew said the government was aware of the challenges affecting the Ndemaha project and would assess the contractor’s capacity to ensure the work was not delayed further.

He said the treatment plant project in Korogwe, valued at more than 1.048bn/-, had reached 15 per cent completion, while the Ndemaha project, valued at 1.81bn/-, was also progressing below expectations.

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“We will continue monitoring and evaluating the contractor to ensure that the interests of the people of Korogwe are protected and that the expected results are delivered,” he said.

On the 28-town project covering Korogwe, Handeni, Muheza and Pangani, Eng Mathew said the project, valued at about 171bn/-, had reached 84 per cent completion.

He said implementation had been affected by a contractor who lacked sufficient capacity to complete pipe-laying works across the Pangani River at Tingetinge.

The ministry has directed the contractor to engage a capable subcontractor and speed up the remaining works so that residents can start benefiting from the project.

The minister’s response comes as MPs from different parts of the country raised concerns over delayed water projects and contractors awaiting payments.

Responding to a separate supplementary question from Biharamulo MP Engineer Ezra, who raised concerns over several stalled water projects due to unpaid contractors, Eng Mathew said the ministry had started receiving funds from the fuel levy following changes approved by Parliament.

He said the funds would be used to settle outstanding debts on water projects across the country.

“From this month, we have started receiving the funds and have begun disbursing them to ensure we pay debts on projects being implemented across the country,” he said.

The minister said available funds might not settle all outstanding obligations at once, but projects and contractors would be prioritised to ensure implementation continues and facilities are completed.