VICE-PRESIDENT Samia Suluhu Hassan flanked
by; from left; Zanzibar Minister for Health, Mr Mahmoud Thabit Kombo,
Minister for Water and Irrigation, Eng Gerson Lwenge, launches a
WaterAid Tanzania 2016-21 Country Programme Strategy, with the theme:
"Putting Water, Sanitation and Hygiene at the Centre of Development" an
event sponsored by Swedish Postcode Lottery in Dar es Salaam,
yesterday. Right is Country Director, Dr Ibrahim Kabole and Regional
Director, Ms Olutayo Bankole-Bolawole.(Photo by Mohamed Mambo)
VICE-PRESIDENT Samia Suluhu Hassan has called on officials managing water and environment projects to work harder and ensure better results so that people can live clean in line with the government’s goals come 2020.
The VP made the call yesterday at the
launch of WaterAid -- Tanzania's five-year strategic plan that focuses
on linking water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) with the country's
development plans.
She noted that administrative challenges
in some of the water projects across the country were a result of poor
performance. "I’m calling upon those tasked with managing water projects
to increase their efforts to the government can attain its set goals of
bringing clean and safe water to the public both in urban and rural
areas," she stressed.
She expressed hope that the strategic
plan would increase the public's access to sustainable clean and safe
water. VP Samia noted that concerted efforts between government and
other stakeholders have increasingly improved access to clean and safe
water in rural areas through construction and rehabilitation of water
infrastructures including dams in dry areas.
As of June 2017 a total of 22.95m/-
people, about 72.58 per cent, in rural areas are accessing clean and
safe water within an area of 400 meters as directed by the 2002 water
policy, Samia explained.
She added that in Urban areas the
government's goal is to increase access to clean and safe water in
regional headquarters from 86 per cent to 95 per cent, district
headquarters, towns and national project areas from 60 to 75 per cent
and in Dar es salaam from 72 per cent to 95 per cent.
"Alongside those goals, cleanliness of
the environment is also important in safeguarding our health from
outbreaks such as cholera and typhoid. Aside from clean and safe water,
we all must ensure we are surrounded by a clean environment," she
stressed.
The VP said proper implementation of the
strategic plans would have to national goal in 'helping woman to “take
down the bucket of water from her head”. She stressed that access to
sustainable clean and safe water has also seen improvements of girls
performance in schools and decrease in school dropouts.
WaterAid Tanzania Country Director Dr
Ibrahim Kabole said the strategic plan was in line with the country's
second water strategic development plan 2016-2020. "WaterAid Tanzania
supports government's efforts in bringing water close to the public
especially the bottom 20 percent who cannot easily access the commodity.
"Tanzania has been doing well in
improving the lives of its citizens through provision of clean water and
environment services to its people, however the country has a long way
to go to cover all the citizens," Dr Kabole explained.
He explained that with the current
government's good governance under President John Magufuli it is the
right time to bring major changes in the water sector.
Dr Kabole acknowledged that they are
facing a number of challenges including expanding of towns that do not
go a long with expansion of the necessary infrastructure in the
respective areas.
"Despite the challenges we believe that
this is our collective responsibility as stakeholders to join efforts
and use the right technologies to achieve the desired major changes in
the sector," he added.
No comments:
Post a Comment