The Mwanza Sewarage System in Tanzania is set for an upgrade. This follows an agreement inked between Mwanza Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (MWAWASA), Lake Victoria Basin Commission (LVBC) with the European Union (EU) and Kreditanstaltfür Wiederaufbau (KfW) to finance the project.
The goal for the sewerage system upgrade is to reduce wastewater pollution in Lake Victoria from coastal towns such as Mwanza. The city’s effluent contributes significantly to the pollution of the lake, which is 68,800 km long, resulting in the loss of its aquatic biodiversity.
READ:Senegal secures US $41M loan for water and sanitation
Mwanza Sewarage System
Estimated to cost US $12.7bn, the project will involve construction of 14.4 km of infill sewers. In addition to Mwanza, MSNUP works will be carried out in Igogo, Kitangiri, Kirumba, Pasiansi and Nyamanoro. The MSNUP project is a component of the Integrated Water Resources Management Programme (IWRM) that will reduce pollution of Lake Victoria by wastewater from industries and households in major cities bordering this vast body of fresh water, including Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda. Rwanda is also involved in this programme.
In Tanzania, the IWRM will also build a new wastewater treatment plant in Igoma in the east, and another in Mkuyuni, south of Mwanza town. At least 7,400 households in Mwanza will be connected to the sewers, which will be connected to the three new treatment plants in Mwanza. The effluent sent to these treatment plants will undergo treatment before being released into the environment.
In addition to improving sanitation, the initiative will bring the Tanzanian government closer to its goal of reducing pollution in the country by 30% through the expansion of sewerage and sanitation systems by 2025.
