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By Alawi Masare
Dodoma. The government has increased its water and irrigation budget by 91 per cent to Sh979.5 billion in the 2016/17 financial year.
The aim is to ensure 85 per cent of rural people access clean and safe water by 2020, it said.
Water and Irrigation minister Gerson Lwenge tabled the Sh979.50 billion budget for next financial year, which is an increase of Sh466.78 billion from that of 2015/16.
According to him, 21.9 million or 72 per cent of Tanzanians who live in rural areas access clean water and the target is to reach 85 per cent or 25.85 million people in 2020.He said 424 projects were going on in those areas and the development expenditure would complete more projects, rehabilitate or expand others and undertake new ones. He also said the government aimed at accelerating water access from the current 86 per cent to 95 per cent in the regional centres, 60 per cent to 90 per cent in district centres and 72 per cent to 95 per cent in Dar es Salaam by 2020.
“The government will continue implementing the Water Sector Development Programme as planned. The sector is also under Big Results Now initiative which is accelerating the implementation of water projects in different places,” he said.
The government launched the second phase of the Water Sector Development Programme in 2014 that will cost $3.3 billion during its implementation between 2015/16 and 2019/20.
Some of the big projects planned by the government include the supply of clean and safe water from Lake Victoria to residents of Mwanza, Shinyanga and Simiyu regions.
He said the Lake Victoria project will touch lives of residents of 100 villages crossed by the main pipeline from the lake to Kahama and Shinyanga.
He also mentioned the rehabilitation of the Ntomoko project in Kondoa and Chemba districts as one of the strategic plans that will improve water supply to 10 villages while the Chiwambo project in Masasi District will supply water to seven wards.
The government set aside Sh463.3 billion for supplying water to 786 villages in the country. However, the challenge is the shortage of funds.
He said in the current estimates, the ministry received only 28 per cent of the approved budget and therefore failed to pay contractors who were implementing water projects. He said the contractors’ arrears had reached Sh212.9 billion by March this year.
He also said government institutions owed urban water authorities Sh30 billion as water bills up March 2016.
Meanwhile, the Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture, Livestock and Water Development urged the government to introduce a new toll from fuel to increase funding for water supply in rural areas.
The suggestion was supported by some MPs who also demanded the establishment of an agency to manage water supply in rural areas.
According to the commission, rural electrification projects are going on well because some funds are generated from the fuel levy.
In 2015, the government introduced the fuel toll which authorised the charging of Sh263 from every litre of petrol and diesel for the Road Fund and Sh50 for the Rural Energy Agency which implements rural electrification projects.
The Bunge team wants the Finance Act to be amended to allow the charging of Sh100 from every litre of petrol and diesel to strengthen the rural water supply fund. The committee also wanted the government to repay water bills accumulated by its institutions.
MPs from both the opposition and the ruling party asked the government to ensure it established the Rural Water Agency.
“Let us all unite and ensure the government submits a bill for the establishment of the Rural Water Agency before the Prime Minister postpones the National Assembly sitting,” said Mr Zitto Kabwe (Kigoma Urban — ACT-Wazalendo).
Mr Jerome Bwanausi (Lulindi —CCM) said both the toll and Rural Water Agency were crucial to boost water services.
CREDIT SOURCE: THE CITIZEN
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