News From Parliament

Shinyanga villages to get clean water

THE Deputy Minister for Water, Dr Binilith Mahenge.

A TOTAL of 135 villages in Kahama and Shinyanga will enjoy clean and safe water once the second phase of the Lake Victoria project is accomplished.

The project will cover a further 96 villages, the Deputy Minister for Water, Dr Binilith Mahenge, said here. Dr Mahenge was answering a supplementary question from Ms Rachel Mashishanga Robert (Special Seats – Chadema) in the National Assembly. Ms Robert was keen on knowing the number of villages that benefit from the project. 

Dr Mahenge said that the project, which conveys water to Kahama and Shinyanga municipalities, started working in February 2009. The project also quenches thirsts in 15 Kahama villages and 19 in Shinyanga.

At the moment the project serves villages that are within a five-kilometre distance away from the main water pipe. The second phase of the project envisages covering villages within a 12-kilometre limit, Dr Mahenge said.

The expansion will see the project covering 14 more villages in Kahama District and a further 46 villages in Shinyanga Rural District. The project will also take in Tinde, Kagongwa, Muhunze, Kakola, Ilogi, Bugarama and Isaka townships in Shinyanga. Other districts that will benefit from the Lake Victoria water project include Kishapu where a feasibility study, survey work and tender documents have been accomplished.

The following stage involves floating of tenders that will invite potential contractors. The deputy minister also told the House that plans are underway to build a major dam at Farkwa that will improve water service provision in the municipality of Dodoma.  He said that the nation had abandoned a German Colony plan that sought to install a pipeline that would have drawn water from Lake Victoria and distributed it to villages and townships in Singida and Dodoma regions.