AfricaPress-Tanzania: ABOUT 1bn/- in government funding will be spent on improving water supply in Dodoma’s Central Business District and surrounding communities, the ministry of water announced.
The new city which has witnessed an alarming increase in population following the government’s decision to move its administrative capital from Dar es Salaam, faces serious shortage of the precious liquid.
The move had thus prompted the water supply utility authority—Duwasa to resort into unpredictable rationing.
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Water, Engineer Anthony Sanga revealed that the government would commit over 1bn/- in funding to support improved water quality and supply in the capital city.
The PS issued the government position after a short tour of one of the boreholes currently being drilled at Ihumwa suburb in the outskirts of the city as an immediate response to exacerbating demand for water service.
“This is being done considering the increasing demand for water especially in the surrounding communities,” he said.
Dodoma’s water pumping capacity is projected to be around 70 millions litres a day, but latest assessment indicates the demand for clean and safe water supply stood above 100million litres.
The ministry also urged companies in the water sector to fully exploit the potential for the government’s mass exodus to Dodoma to adopt solutions that can help improve supply of the resource to communities.
Eng Sanga emphasized that the government was implementing short, midterm and long term strategic plans to improve supply of the precious liquid in the city.
“Our short term plans include drilling emergency boreholes at Ihumwa. Construction of the Farkwa dam is our midterm plan and in the long term we expect to draw water from Lake Victoria,” he emphasized.
Dodoma Urban Water Supply and Sanitation Authority (DUWASA) Chief Executive Officer, Engineer David Pallangyo detailed that the authority was planning to spend 2.4bn/- to drill deep boreholes at Ihumwa.
The Ihumwa borehole is one of the many wells the authority is considering to drill to help reduce water shortage in the central business district and the surrounding communities.
The boreholes currently being constructed will have a capacity to produce over 3000 cubic metres of water a day.
The utility believes the water produced will help improve supply, especially in surrounding communities such as Mwangaza, Njendengwa, and Ihumwa among other places.
Meanwhile, Dodoma Regional Commissioner Dr Binilith Mahenge hailed the water utility for maintaining a pace to address water challenges facing the city.
He urged Duwasa to intensify coordination with the government in line to enhance service delivery in the region.
“The government aims at ensuring constant supply of water and sewerage services that weigh equally with the capital city status,” he noted.
