UK Department for International Development (UKAID) will help enhance water supply in Tanzania following the launch of a financing scheme worth US $89.5m.
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The scheme is coordinated by the government in collaboration with the UK Department for International Development (UKAID) and is targeting the local government authorities in the country (LGA). In a recent press statement, the scheme is expected to provide people in 57 districts with additional funds for improvement in service provision as well as the maintenance of water infrastructure.
The UK government is committed to the increase of accessible and improved water and sanitation programmes in the country to approximately 2.1 million Tanzanians. In attendance of the launch was also Mr. George Simbachawene, Minister of State in President’s Office Regional Administration and Local Government and the deputy head of UK DFID Tanzania.
The Minister for Water and Irrigation, Mr. Gerson Lwenge, during the launch, said that the initiative would complement the government’s efforts in the achievement of its set targets in ensuring that majority of the people in the rural areas get access to clean and reliable water by 2020.
The scheme is one of the very few but innovative programmes that complement the government’s efforts in the aim to provide the rural area with at least 85% access to sustainable, clean and safe water.
Among the districts that are beneficiaries of the scheme include; Wanging’ombe (Iringa), Makete (Iringa), Maswa (Shinyanga) districts. These are some of the districts that were able to meet the criteria to be included in the scheme.
The selection criteria included having a water and sanitation team that is in operation and functioning, credible plan on water and sanitation and timely report that would indicate accurate data on water points.
This news comes as a relief to the people of Tanzania as the water crisis which had led to water rationing earlier in the year had already taken a toll on them.
