THE biggest water project involving 1,320 schemes aimed at reaching over four million rural people within five years is being implemented beginning this financial year at a cost of about one trillion/-. The Minister for Water and Irrigation, Prof. Mark Mwandosya (pictured), said in Dar es Salaam that the unprecedented programme in the rural water sector has already won the support of about 700 million USD from development partners while 250 million USD will be internally sourced.
Prof Mwandosya said this when opening the fourth joint Water Sector Review Programme meeting held in the city. He said the programme was the biggest south of the Sahara.
The meeting drew stakeholders in the water sector including developing partners, international organisations and civil society organisations, government ministries, water supply and sanitation authorities and basin water offices among others.
With regard to the situation of water supply in rural areas, it is of considerable concern to the government as recent surveys suggest that water coverage may be less than that indicated in the internationally accepted practices, he said.
The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) indicated in its 2007 Household Budget Survey that only 42 per cent of the rural population is being covered by water services amid the high population growth rate coupled with unsustainability of many water supply projects. The minister said the government was prepared to increase efforts over the coming years in order to achieve its vision 2025 in the sector.
The ministry will move quickly to introduce appropriate regulations as may be required to meet the vision, he stressed.
But apart from the government assurance on the development of the sector, the 2009 Water Sector Status Report indicates that there was serious shortage of water sector staff and technical experts to help speed up the required undertakings especially within the Local Governments Authorities (LGAs).
According to the report, the existing number of staff in the sector was about 30 per cent of the total requirements thus threatening smooth implementation of water schemes constructions and other rural water based project.
Currently, according to Water Information System Database of August 2009, there is about 659 hired staff against the required 3,530 hence shortage of 2,871 comprising of engineers, community development officers, technicians and assistant technicians.
The report also highlighted delays in the procurement processes and procedures and unfamiliarity with World Bank procurement procedures as serious obstacles in timely implementing of many water projects in rural areas.
On the other hand, quite significant delays were caused in obtaining the no objection from the World Bank. It is suggested that in future, the Bank should outsource some of the verification to an international procurement agency to respond to an evaluation or contract in a reasonable time, reads part of the report.
Daily News
Post published in: Uncategorized