Africa-Press – Tanzania. ACUTE water shortage, crowded classrooms and impassable roads remains the most serious challenge inflicting wananchi in Zanzibar’s Urban West region. Fortunately, President Hussein Mwinyi seems to have a lasting solution to the problems.
“I have come with good news to you,” President Mwinyi repeatedly told wananchi at a series of public rallies during his tour of the region on Thursday.
Dr Mwinyi assured wananchi that under the 92.13 million US dollars (over 217bn/-) India’s Exim Bank-funded Rehabilitation and Improvement of Water Supply Systems in Zanzibar, water blues in Urban West region’s three districts will become history. He ordered the project contractors to speedily execute and complete the ambitious project within the prescribed 18-month period, warning that no more rhetoric will be tolerated after the contractual deadline.
“This project was approved since 2016 and it was scheduled to start in July 2020, but unfortunately we are in the drilling of the first well today; after 18 months I don’t want to hear any explanation but water services to wananchi,” President Mwinyi directed at Dole project site.
He added, “Let today be the end of these undue delays. I want new spirit in the execution of this project.” The president directed the newly appointed Zanzibar Water Authority (ZAWA) Executive Director Dr Salha Mohammed Kassim to work on short-term measures to supply the islanders with water pending the project implementation.
He decried the public water utility’s poor performance and negligence, which he described as the major reason behind water woes in the region. At Welezo, the president was puzzled to learn that five water wells have remained idle for over a year due to defective pumps, which cost about 300m/-.
“Seriously, ZAWA has failed to raise 300m/- in an entire year,” the vividly bothered president queried. He directed ZAWA executive office to take stern measures against incompetent employees within the authority President Mwinyi further assured the islanders that the government has embarked on a multibillion road construction programme, under which a total of 220 kilometers roads will be upgraded to tarmac level.
He pledged to improve road infrastructures for Welezo, Masingini, Dole, Bumbwisudi, Mwachaalale, Fuoni Kibondeni and Tomondo suburbs in the region.
The president further sympathized with wananchi over the crowded schools, some with up to 250 pupils per classroom, saying: “There is no miracle our children can perform well academically under this kind of learning environment.” He assured that the government will soon come up with a lasting solution to all problems impeding efforts to educate children in the country.
At almost all the areas that the president visited and listened to public complaints, wananchi accused their political leaders of snubbing them after last October’s general elections.
At Tomondo within Dimani constituency, Mr Shaib Rashid Salum told Dr Mwinyi: “You came here last year for the campaigns and convinced us to give you a CCM (Chama Cha Mapinduzi) councillor, member of House of Representative and Member of Parliament. We obliged, but since then we haven’t seen them.” Briefing the president, Urban West Regional Commissioner Idrissa Kitwana described the region as safe and calm, but decried alarming sexual abuse cases, saying some 380 cases were reported during the past one year.
