Make access to clean water sustainable, stakeholders urge

WaterAid Tanzania country director Ibrahim Kabole

What you need to know:

  • WaterAid Tanzania has called for sustainable access to clean water for all, and stronger protection against overuse and misuse of the water supply in the country.
  • In Tanzania, Statistics from the Ministry of Water show that water coverage is 64.8 per cent, while in urban areas it is 80 per cent and 64 per cent in small towns.

Dar es Salaam. WaterAid Tanzania has called for sustainable access to clean water for all, and stronger protection against overuse and misuse of the water supply in the country.

A statement issued and released to media outlets by organisation’s communications manager Priya Sippy on Wednesday, March 21, 2019 said.

The organisation issued the plea ahead of the World Water Day celebrations commemorated on every March 22.

In its new report titled ‘Below the Surface’, the organisation warns that unsustainable production of products for export, combined with consumers’ increasing desire for water-intensive products, may leave poor communities struggling to access clean water.

The organisation has further urged the relevant authorities to enhance water sources management in order to ensure people’s rights to clean water are being met, also warning that unsustainable protection of water would risk halting the country’s development progress.

According to the available statistics, at least 844 million people around the World are denied access to clean water hence they are deprived of an equal chance to be healthy, educated and financially secure.

WaterAid Tanzania country director Ibrahim Kabole said: “There are still many communities in Tanzania who are without a source of clean water close to home. This means lost education, lost opportunities and hundreds of lost lives each year.”

He added: “The time to act is now; we must ensure that we protect our precious water supplies for the future, and ensure that we reach everyone with this basic need for life, leaving no one behind.”

In Tanzania, Statistics from the Ministry of Water show that water coverage is 64.8 per cent, while in urban areas it is 80 per cent and 64 per cent in small towns.

Tim Wainwright, WaterAid chief executive said: “We are more determined than ever to make clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene normal for everyone everywhere, by 2030.”

“The push for economic development must not imperil current and future generations’ access to water. There can be no sustainable economic development without access to water for all,” added Mr Wainwright.

Again, according to the 10th Tanzania Economic Update launched at the end of 2017 by World Bank reported that renewable per capita freshwater resources dropped over the past 25 years from more than 3,000 cubic meters per person to around 1,600 today.

The decline, which is driven by increasing demand for a finite resource will likely continue and reach around 1,400 cubic meters per person by 2025.