LONGIDO: RESIDENTS of five wards in Longido District have started benefiting from the government’s 20bn/- Simba River Longido water project, easing long-standing water shortages in the livestock-dependent district.
Deputy Minister for Minerals, Dr Steven Kiruswa, who is also the Member of Parliament for Longido, said recently that the government-funded project is supplying clean and safe water to residents of Tingatinga, Engikaret, Longido, Kimokouwa and Namanga wards after they were connected to the distribution network.
He said the 65-kilometre pipeline transports water from the Simba River in Siha District, Kilimanjaro Region, to Longido District in Arusha Region.
Dr Kiruswa said the project initially faced several challenges, including damage to water pipelines by elephants, vandalism by a few individuals who cut the pipes and complaints from communities seeking branch connections where the main pipeline passed through their areas.
He said the challenge posed by elephants had been resolved through cooperation between the Longido District authorities, wildlife officers and local communities, while residents’ concerns over water connections had also been addressed.
As part of the improvements, Kimokouwa Ward has been connected to the network and supplied with two water storage tanks, each with a capacity of 100,000 litres.
Dr Kiruswa said Longido, being a livestock-keeping district, has a high demand for water for both domestic use and livestock, prompting President Samia Suluhu Hassan to launch the project two years ago with an initial allocation of 15.7bn/-.
ALSO READ: Tanzania tables its target to provide clean water to all villages by 2031
Although the project’s cost later increased to more than 20bn/-, he said the government continued to provide additional funding to ensure its successful implementation and expand water services across the district.
“The project is progressing well and many residents and their livestock in the five wards have already started benefiting from access to clean and safe water for domestic use and livestock,” Dr Kiruswa said.
Meanwhile, Longido District Commissioner Salum Kally said the strategic project fulfils the ruling CCM election manifesto and President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s commitment to improving water services in the district.
He said Longido has also benefited from substantial government investment in health, education and road infrastructure under President Samia’s administration, with funds allocated to the projects being utilised as intended.
Mr Kally urged residents to continue supporting the President’s development agenda, saying the government remains committed to improving their livelihoods through investment in essential services.
Residents, including Kaput Laizer of Engikaret, Lazaro Metiri of Kimokouwa and Amina Kipuyo, thanked the government for extending water connections to their communities.