Ministry to run water facilities
Dodoma. Only 64 per cent of completed water projects in rural areas are operational, which raises a red flag for millions of Tanzanians still grappling with water scarcity.
Speaking during the launch of the 2019 Scientists Forum, which brought together donors and various stakeholders in the water sector, the ministry of Water permanent secretary, Prof Kitila Mkumbo, said 46,000 projects out of 131,000 countrywide were not operating by February 2019. Prof Mkumbo said between 20 and 25 per cent of the ministry’s budget has been allocated on water projects, but some projects bear no fruit due to lack of proper management.
“At least 46,000 water wells constructed by the government are not working. This is an equivalent of 36 per cent of the projects, which leaves many people to continue grappling with water woes,” he said. However, the permanent secretary exuded confidence that the situation would improve when legislations on the Sustainable Rural Water Supply and Sanitation come into play. “Unskilled villagers used to handle the entire projects, but we have come with a new approach whereby such projects will be under the supervision of proven experts,” Prof Mkumbo said.
“The government has so far completed the construction of 131,000 water projects across the country, but they are increasingly becoming useless because of poor management. We have, nonetheless, have a foolproof strategy,” he said.
