Africa-Press – Tanzania. THE Ministry of Water has formed a task force to control irrigation activities along the Ruvu River to secure adequate water supply in Dar es Salaam and the Coastal regions.
The Deputy Minister for Wate,r Maryprisca Mahundi told the National Assembly on Wednesday that human activities have had a significant impact on water supply in the regions.
“When there is a lot of water, we normally give irrigation permits near water sources; during the dry season, such permits expire, but some people continue to irrigate long after their permits have expired, causing water shortages for other users,” she pointed out. Ms Mahundi was answering a suplimentary question from Special Seats lawmaker Halima Mdee, who wanted to know the government’s long- and short-term plans for alleviating water scarcity in Dar es Salaam and the Coastal regions.
Ms Mahundi in further response said that, while the lower Ruvu plant experiences water shortage, nine water basins were working together to solve the situation.
According to her, another goal of the ministry is to provide education on proper water use and protection of water sources. Last week, Dar es Salaam Water and Sewerage Authority (DAWASA) stated that there is no water rationing in Dar es Salaam, saying the deficit was caused by a drop in water levels at the Lower Ruvu source. DAWASA Chief Executive Officer, Cyprian Luhemeja, told reporters in the city that the water level reduced due to shortage of rainfall.
“The Tanzania Meteorological Agency (TMA) has issued a climate outlook for the Vuli season, advising other authorities to take adequate precautions because the country would get rain that is below normal to normal,” he said.
As a result, he said that the water level dropped and production also dropped from 270 million litres to 210 million litres per day.
According to him, DAWASCO produces 520 million litres of water per day, but since the water level at Lower Ruvu plummeted, production dropped to 460 million litres, resulting in a 60 million litres deficit.
“We are working on this issue because we generate 197 million litres per day at Upper Ruvu, 7.3 million litres at Wami, and 6.8–7.0 million litres at Mtoni, so we have relocated water from Upper Ruvu to Lower Ruvu to ensure clients get water,” Mr Luhemeja said.
However, Mr Luhemeja noted that the situation is still under control, adding that DAWASA will ensure that city resident have access to water via water bowsers, if the situation worsens.
“While we wait for rains that may result in rising water levels, we advise people to use and store water sensibly,” he said.
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