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Lowassa speaks on Dar water crisis
2006-01-20 08:37:02
By Bilal Abdul-Aziz
Prime Minister Edward Lowassa has ordered Minister for Water Stephen Wassira to tell Dar es Salaam residents the truth about perennial water woes the city experiences.
He issued the directive yesterday in Dar es Salaam shortly after handing over the office to Wassira who has taken over the water portfolio.
The premier, who headed the Ministry of Water and Livestock Development in the previous government, said the water crisis in the country – and Dar es Salaam in particular – is serious and city dwellers deserve to know the bitter truth.
’We have agreed that Dar residents should be told the truth about the water situation in the city,’ Lowassa said shortly after brief closed-door talks with Wassira and his team at the ministry.
The premier said that during the meeting they discussed the water crisis in Dar es Salaam, which he described as: ’slightly more serious’ compared with other parts of the country.
Lowassa hinted that the situation at the Ruvu pumping stations was critical as the water levels had declined further as a result of the prevailing drought.
’We cannot say there are dams there; we [literally] tap water as it flows and that is why the required amount of water does not reach the city,’ the Prime Minister noted.
’The ministry and Dawasco (Dar es Salaam Water and Sewerage Corporation) should issue notices regularly to update people on the real situation. But the government will be on hand to tackle the problem despite the drought being serious,’ he said.
Generally, he said: ’’I have told him (Wassira) that water supply in our country is still a major problem.’
He said that the ministry, Dawasco and other water authorities in the country should ensure that people are aware of the crisis and learn from it to forestall a future recurrence.
Wassira said the water blues Dar faces are serious and required long term planning to overcome them.
’Our mission is to give the Tanzanians reliable water services. We hope that in future the services will be better than at present,’ promised Wassira.
He said that a study on alternative sources of water to supplement the main catchments for Dar es Salaam – River Ruvu and Kizinga – has been undertaken and the outcome will be communicated to stakeholders.
’Rehabilitation of the major water supply infrastructure in Dar es Salaam is on progress,’ the minister said.
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