Ministry: We're committed to improving urban water supply

By The guardian reporter

Water Minister, Prof Jumanne Maghembe

The government has reiterated its commitment to ensure urban centres in the country have reliable access to clean and safe water.



Addressing Mwanza city residents recently, Water Minister Prof Jumanne Maghembe, said several major water projects across the country have already been completed while the remaining few are in their final stages.

“These are huge water projects and they are almost complete,” he said.
“Come 2015, water provision in all urban areas of the country will be over 95 percent when these projects are completed,” he pledged.

As for Dar es Salaam, he explained that on going water works are divided into two phases, first the construction of a water treatment plant which has already been completed at a cost of 50bn/- followed by the construction of a pipeline to deliver the water.

The construction of the 55.5 kilometres long pipeline from Ruvu in Bagamoyo, Coast Region to Ardhi University in Kinondoni District, Dar es Salaam is almost complete, he went on to say, detailing that “…we have already constructed 40 kilometres and hope that the remaining bit will be completed by the end of June,” he said.

The cost of the pipeline is estimated at 118bn/- and is funded by the government while the 50bn/-cost for the water treatment plant has been met by the government of the United States of America through the Millennium Challenge Cooperation fund.

The minister also said another water treatment plant is to be constructed at Ruvu Darajani along Morogoro Road at an estimated cost of 65bn/-.
Maghembe said, after the completion of the two projects, water supply to Dar es Salaam city is expected to increase to 262 million litres.

He noted also that there will be a pipe constructed from Ruvu darajani to Kibamba area where there will be a huge water reservoir from which water will be distributed to the Kimara area.

SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN