Kawe legislator, Halima Mdee

The Kawe legislator, Halima Mdee, has accused top government officials and tycoons of sabotaging the Dar es Salaam Water and Sewerage Corporation (Dawasco) alleging that they ‘illegally tapped public water storages for commercial purposes.’

Halima Mdee raised the claim as she challenged the Ministry of Water Development budget estimates for the financial year 2012/2013. Apparently, the conspiracy was unearthed following a tour of councilors from the Makongo ward, officials from Dawasco, Kawe offices and eye witnesses from residents of the area.

Mdee, termed the act “sabotage’ and said that a lot of water had been wasted as result of unnecessary leakages that occur during the theft process and that the ministry and its officials have failed to control the situation.

“According to the Controller and Auditor General’s report of February, we were told that we are losing 50 percent of water from the authorities. I thought the minister would have shown in his book measures been taken to control the menace,” said Mdee.

Assessments estimate water lost as a direct result of the conspiracy to top 2.5bn/- every month and that is 40bn/- of tax payer morning washing down the drains every year.

Former Water Minister, Prof Mark Mwandosya expressed fear over the issue saying his ministry was pessimistic of the water body’s ability to reduce the rate of non-revenue water (NRW) from 48 per cent to 19 per cent by 2013.

NRW refers to water produced but “lost” before it reaches the customer. Losses can be real, through leaks, sometimes also referred to as physical losses or apparent losses, through theft or metering inaccuracies.

In another developments, the legislator has blamed constructors of Mwenge –Tegeta road for destroying, water infrastructures. She asked the ministry to clarify a responsible authority and charge them with repairs instead of asking civilians to contribute yet it is their very tax money that built the infrastructures to begin with.