Govt rolls out 248m/- to curb water shortage in Kishapu -

By STAFF REPORTER

THE government has disbursed at least 248m/- for the improvement of vital infrastructures at the Charcoal Dam at Kiloleli Ward in Kishapu Council to address water shortage.

The dam is tailor-made for rainwater harvesting, which will be treated for human consumption, the Ward Councilor, Mr. Edward Manyama, said during the recent visit of the Deputy Permanent Secretary in the Vice President’s Office (Environment), Dr Sweetbert Mkama.

Among others, the robust project which is projected to come to life in October this year, entails the construction of a small filter and water treatment facility.

The initiative is also expected to provide clean and safe water, hence relieving people from the hardship of walking a long distance in search of water.

“The Charcoal Dam has been here for some time now, but it provides muddy water that is not even fit for livestock consumption. We are therefore renovating it to allow only rain water to enter the areas while waiting for implementation of the major Lake Victoria Water Project,” he said.

The residents commended the government’ swift response, since the project was initiated a few days ago through Kilolelo village’s Information Centre which was introduced by the Tanzania Gender Networking Programme (TGNP) to facilitate communication between members of the community and the government.

“We have been sharing water with livestock, only to risk our health. Despite this serious challenge, the dam goes dry soon after the rainy season because it is small but serves a big population, including the nearby Kiloleli primary school.

“We have no option, we buy a water bucket at 1000/- from the vendors, despite our poor financial status,” said one of the villagers, Ms Regina Emanuel,

Kiloleli Village Officer Nicholaus Mzirai commended the government’s immediate response to address water scarcity facing 4,242 villagers and 7,724 livestock in the area.

Kishapu Constituency Member of Parliament, Mr Boniphace Butondo, commented that the government implements different projects to protect water sources, including the implementation of ‘Ecosystem-Based Adaptation for Rural Resilience in Tanzania’ (EbARR) project which is aimed at increasing resilience to climate change in remote areas of the country.

The Deputy PS supported the motion, while commending the Kishapu Council for thorough supervision of the charcoal dam improvements.