PRESIDENT Samia Suluhu Hassan’s order to sort out the highly flawed water sector is beginning to bite, after Water Minister, Jumaa Aweso ordered for the detention of six Mwanza regional officials.
Minister Aweso ordered for the sextet’s detention, allegedly for implementing a water project in Sengerema District, below standard. The officials are from Mwanza Urban Water Supply and Sanitation Authority (Mwauwasa) and Rural Water Sanitation Authority (Ruwasa).
They are Acting Director of Mwauwasa, Leonard Msenyere, Ruwasa Regional Manager Immaculata Raphael, Ruwasa Sengerema District Manager, Kacian Wittike and Mwauwasa Project Manager, Gogadi Mbwadu Minister Aweso also dissolved the Sengerema District Water Board for inefficiency.
“The function of the board is to manage the authority so that it can fulfill its responsibilities, but it has failed, hence I’ve decided to dissolve it.”
Mr Aweso said in Sengerema. Mr Aweso said his ministry plans to evaluate all water engineers across the country with the aim of enhancing accountability, improving management and ensuring citizens have access to adequate, clean and reliable water services.
Sengerema legislator Hamisi Tabasamu told the minister that water scarcity is increasingly becoming a problem in his constituency.
“There is no water here and people complain…there is a project that has been ongoing here for two years and is still not completed,” he lamented.
Addressing the National Assembly in Dodoma, last Thursday, President Samia directed that shoddy engineers snail-pacing the implementation of water projects in the country step aside and pave way for ‘fresh blood’ to take over.
President Samia revealed her government’s plans to reform the water sector in a bid to address water blues in the country.
She said it was unfortunate that some engineers managing the execution of water projects had failed to deliver causing most projects to stall, while those completed were not functioning.
President Samia expressed her concerns that after painstaking efforts by the government to dish out funds for planning and construction, some water projects become white elephants as they cannot supply water, saying shoddy engineers must shoulder the blame.
“Many projects have failed to take off, while those which are completed are not functioning despite having received a lot of government funds to implement them for sustainable water supply in the county. “We cannot allow this to continue and the government is set to make major changes for engineers in the regions… we will bring in fresh blood that will help sustain leadership in the management of the water sector, especially on implementation of water projects in the country,” she said.
The president said the changes will ensure the country achieves her target of ensuring 95 per cent water supply in the urban areas and 85 per cent in rural areas by 2025 as stipulated in the ruling party CCM election.
President Samia also issued a strong warning to the Minister Aweso, demanding him to make sure he delivers by ensuring the targets are met, short of which, the president warned that the minister will face the consequences.
“Failure to achieve the goal of reliable water supply in rural and urban areas by 2025, will force the minister of water to step down… I say, you will have to leave,” the Head of State said.
The president added that the government aim is to get rid of poor management and establish a new one. She said the water problem is still a big challenge in various areas of the country singling out poor management of water projects as the major cause of the problem.
“Water problem is still a big issue in various parts of the country, the condition is highly caused by poor management of water projects and misuse of funds provided ensuring availability of clean and safe water,” she said.
She vowed that the sixth government will put great emphasis in strengthening management in the implementation of water projects.
President Samia said her government will also mobilise water funds through identifying new sources in the implementation of water supply in many parts of the country.