US$12.7 bn project launched to upgrade Mwanza sewerage system in Tanzania

The Mwanza Sewerage system will be funded by the European Union (EU) and Kreditanstaltfür Wiederaufbau (KfW). The agreement was signed by the Mwanza Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (MWAWASA) and the Lake Victoria Basin Commission (LVBC).

It aims to reduce sewage pollution in Lake Victoria. The project is expected to be valued at US$12.7 billion, improving Mwanza’s sanitation.

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An agreement on financing was recently made in Tanzania with this goal. The European Union (EU) and German development agency Kreditanstaltfür Wiederaufbau (KfW) are contributing $12.7 billion to the Mwanza Sewerage Upgrading Project (MSNUP).

The funds will be used to implement the MSNUP by the Lake Victoria Basin Commission (LVBC) and also the Mwanza Water Supply and Sanitation Authority (Mwawasa).

Infill sewers totaling 14.4 km will be constructed as part of the project. The collected effluent will be conveyed to a new treatment facility at Ilemela, in the northern town of Mwanza.

Why the EAC launched the Mwanza Sewerage Upgrading Project

This project, launched by the East African Community (EAC), seeks to reduce the volume of liquid waste that coastal towns like Mwanza discharge into Lake Victoria.

The 68,800-km-long, largest freshwater lake in Africa is highly polluted by the city’s effluent. The effluent released into the lake has a negative effect on aquatic biodiversity. Furthermore,  MSNUP projects will be carried out in Mwanza, Igogo, Kitangiri, Kirumba, Pasiansi, and Nyamanoro.

By expanding sewerage and sanitation systems by 2025, the initiative will help Tanzania’s government achieve its goal of reducing pollution in the country by 30%.

The MSNUP project is a part of the Integrated Water Resources Management Programme (IWRM). It seeks to minimize Lake Victoria’s pollution from sewage from households and also industries in major cities.

This program includes involvement from Rwanda. The IWRM will also construct new wastewater treatment plants in Tanzania, one in Mkuyuni, south of Mwanza, and another in Igoma, in the east.

The three new Mwanza treatment plants will be connected to the sewers, which will serve at least 7,400 homes. The treatment plants will treat the effluent before releasing it into the environment.