Author: HILDA MHAGAMA
AfricaPress-Tanzania: THE Alliance for Change and Transparency (ACT-Wazalendo) promises to strengthen the Water Fund by providing a reliable source of revenue from specific tariffs from the use of petroleum products in the country, if elected to power in the October 28 General Election.
In its manifesto released on 31st August 2020, the party assures the people that if elected, it will end water shortage definitively, especially for rural Tanzania by investing 10tril/- in five years, an average of 2tril/- per year which will be raised through a specific water levy on petrol.
The party aims at ensuring effective operations, whereby the government will ensure that the Ministry of Water works closely with the Ministry of Health and the Prime Minister’s Office, Regional Administration and Local Government, especially urban and rural planning departments, to ensure that clean water and sewerage infrastructure are implemented per land-use plans.
Moreover, the party’s government will provide free water subsidies to poor households run by women or households living with children with disabilities who need special care.
According to the document, it will provide subsidies to water authorities to enable them to expand and improve water infrastructure in their areas.
“The expansion of water infrastructure will take into account the needs, not only of those who can pay the bills, the aim is to make water an essential service and not a business venture,” reads part of the document.
An ACT-Wazalendo government would focus on encouraging young people to invent various approaches to improve access to clean and safe water, sustainable conservation of freshwater especially rainwater and wastewater management across the country.
On sustainable energy, an ACT-Wazalendo government would increase electricity generation from the current 1,500 megawatts to 5,400 megawatts by 2025.
Of these, 3,264 megawatts will come from hydropower, 1,500 megawatts will be generated from natural gas and 636 megawatts will be generated from various renewable energy sources.
The 62 page document further highlighted the party’s plan to increase the use of Mtwara gas to generate electricity from less than 20 per cent to 60 per cent by 2025, by building power stations in Mtwara and Lindi regions and connecting the electricity to the National Grid.
According to the party’s 2020-2025 election manifesto, an ACT-Wazalendo government will use solar energy available after the initial cost servicing clinics, health centres, government primary and secondary schools to reduce the burden on the national grid, eliminate transportation and distribution costs nationwide and to have reliable electricity generated at each institution.
It will ensure that all airports in the country get solar power generators to run part of their operations and the excess is included in the grid.
The 62-page document further highlighted that it will ensure that rural water cooperative societies are enabled to run their water projects using solar or wind power.
The manifesto furthermore states that the party will supply domestic gas pipelines for cooking use to reduce the cost of using electricity, buying gas cylinders and saving millions of forests lost every year for home cooking use.
ACT-Wazalendo has also outlined its rural electrification plan in line with reducing electricity costs and connects all regions and districts to the national grid.
It will reduce the cost of electricity for social use, such as the cost of pumping water, to reduce the cost of paying water for community members.
To restore the Natural Gas Project (LNG Plant) by speeding up negotiations with investors and removing all obstacles to enable Tanzania become a major gas producer in Africa, increase employment from industries and services and increase foreign exchange earnings from exports of gas, have also been highlighted.
