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Preliminary scrutiny over US-backed Dar water project kicks-off
2008-10-04 10:05:27
By Guardian Reporter
A joint team that included home based water sector technical experts and from the Washingtonís Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) have done their preliminary examination over the feasibility of planned City Water Project.
Local counterparts are those working at the Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) in Dar es Salaam and they visited Lower Ruvu Water Treatment Plant.
A recent release from the US Embassy in Dar es Salaam says the joint visit ìwas part of the continued implementation planning for the Water Project under the Millennium Challenge Compact signed by Presidents George W. Bush and Jakaya Kikwete in February 2008î.
The objective of the working tour was to see how the team, together with the Dar es Salaam Water and Sewerage Authority (DAWASA) could advance plans for several activities designed to increase the supply of safe, potable water in Dar es Salaam.
One of key goals of the project was to enable a 50 percent increase of water production from the Lower Ruvu Water Treatment Plant and provide a significant reduction in non-accounted for water due to leaks out of the system in underserved parts of the city as well as illegal connections.
According to the release, following the planning sessions, the team visited the current rehabilitation works being undertaken at Lower Ruvu. That working phase is a pre-cursor to MCCís follow-on work scheduled to begin soon.
The team also made several site visits to DAWASAís on-going formalisation of distribution networks, where homes are being connected with dependable infrastructure, including meters to monitor water usage.
This is one of the many strategies being employed to reduce treated water losses.
The USD66 million projects to cover Dar es Salaam and Morogoro is part of the USD698.1 million in U.S. assistance that would be provided under the Millennium Challenge Compact over the next five years.
Projectís objective is to reduce poverty by increasing the health of Tanzanian citizens through the provision of clean and drinkable water.
These activities would also reduce water borne diseases, increase reliable water and strengthen the capacity of the water utilities to better address the needs of their clients.
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