CONSTRUCTION of over 600bn/- water project to cater
for industry boom in Southern Tanzania in Mtwara Region is scheduled to start
this financial year, the government affirmed on Tuesday this week. Upon
completion, the project which is expected to consume 281 million US dollars
(about 604bn/) will supply the region with 120 million litres daily from Ruvuma
river, according to the Permanent Secretary (PS) in the Ministry of Water and
Irrigation, Engineer Mbogo Mfutakamba. The project comes amid soaring number of
industries, which the gas and oil extraction has triggered in the region and
the government’s vision towards the industrial based economy by 2025. Speaking
to reporters in Dar es Salaam on Tuesday this week, Engineer Mfutakamba said
the governments of Tanzania and China will implement the project, adding that
China will finance the project through a soft loan. The PS was briefing the
media on the sidelines of the Energy and Water Utility Regulatory Authority
(EWURA) hosted tenth annual conference of the Eastern and Southern Africa Water
and Sanitation Regulators Association (ESAWAS).
The water sector regulators
from the sub-region have convened in the city to chat out strategies to improve
access to water in the region, heading to the United Nations agreement that
requires all member states to ensure availability and sustainable management of
water and sanitation for all by 2030. The PS stated that the technical part of
the project, including the feasibility study and evaluation for compensation of
potential evictees to pave way for the project, has already been done. He said
the signing of financial agreements with China is what has remained before
construction works by Chinese contractor start. “Upon completion, Mtwara will
be accessing enough water for industrial and domestic uses ... the region
currently receives 60 million litres daily, but this project alone will supply
two times the current amount,” said Engineer Mfutakamba. Among others, Dangote
Cement Industry would be the first project beneficiaries. Water and Irrigation
Minister Gerson Lwenge said Tanzania was in good position as compared to many
African countries in terms of access to clean and safe water, noting that while
many countries last year reached an average of 50 per cent of water access in
rural and urban areas, Tanzania water access in rural and urban areas stands at
60 and 76 per cent, respectively. Engineer Lwenge, however, said African
countries were still struggling with climate change in efforts to increase
water access. “There is, therefore, need for all actors at national and
regional levels to initiate climate resilient initiatives through investments
in innovative water management practices and infrastructural development to
mitigate negative impacts of climate change on water,” said the minister. He
touted increased investments in infrastructure expansion, rehabilitation of the
existing systems and increased efficiency in existing systems to address the
challenges and subsequently achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
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