Tanzania calls for talks over water shortage in the capital

The government of Tanzania is organizing a meeting of stakeholders to discuss ways of ending water shortage in the capital Dodoma.

The country’s Minister for Water Jumaa Aweso announced plans to convene the meeting when he launched the third phase of the country’s Water Sector Development Program, a five-year initiative estimated to cost US $6.5bn.

The meeting will be attended by officials from the Ministry of Finance and Planning and development partners. Aweso noted that the national capital of Dodoma should be supplied with adequate water to meet the demands of a growing city. Residents and leaders have for a long time complained of water crisis in Dodoma.

READ;Guinea launches tender for the environmental study of the PUEG water project

Water program

Earlier this year, Tanzania and the African Development Bank signed a US $125.2M loan agreement for a project that will help address water shortages in three districts in the country’s Dodoma region.

The Dodoma Resilient and Sustainable Water Development and Sanitation Program (Phase I) is set to benefit more than two million residents in the Bahi, Chemba and Chamwino districts, which have suffered droughts and recorded high population growth.

Last November, the country’s commercial capital Dar es Salaam faced power and water rationing blamed on low water volumes in rivers and dams following a drought. The dire situation has prompted the Law and Human Rights Center (LHRC) to call on the government to take short and long-term measures to mitigate the situation.

The LHRC urged the government to adopt strategies to ensure sufficient supply of water, including digging deep wells, monitoring water sources and taking measures to ensure they work efficiently. The LHRC also urged the government to allocate a sufficient budget for water harvesting projects.