AfricaPress-Tanzania: THE Same-Mwanga-Korogwe water project is expected to be completed in September 2020, after the equipment for the project that initially stuck at the Dar es Salaam port due to tax issues have been released, the Ministry of Water told the House on Tuesday.
The government waived the value added tax (VAT) for the project equipment on 4th November, 2019 and they have been moved from the port and have reached the site and implementation of the project has begun.
The ministry said this in a written response to a question asked by the Mwanga MP, Prof Jumanne Maghembe (CCM), who had wanted to know when the project would start after the equipment were held at the port for over ten months.
“Equipment for the project have been at the port since January, 2019 due tax issues, when shall the project start and when shall the taxes for equipment for the project be legally waved?” he asked.
The lawmaker told the parliament that residents of Mwanga and the neighbouring areas face serious water shortage, thus the project upon completion would help them greatly.
In response, the ministry said the project is aimed at solving water woes in some 38 villages in Same and Mwanga districts as well as others in Korogwe district council.
The project is funded by the government in collaboration with Arab Bank for Development in Africa (BADEA), OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID), Saudi Fund and Kuwait Fund at the cost of 300m US dollar.
Upon completion, the project will produce 103.7 million litres per day while the current demand is 78.4 million litres per day.
At least 438,931 people in the three districts, 246,793 in Same, 177,085 in Mwanga and 15,053 in Korogwe.
