BY DAVID KISANGA
27th February 2013
The operation saw police holding for questioning two women said to be engaged in the unlicensed sale of water pumped into the city by Dawasco.
The crackdown came only a day after Dar es Salaam Regional Commissioner Said Meck Sadick directed the two water utility firms to cooperate with police in identifying and arresting for subsequent prosecution all residents of the city illegally connected to Dawasco water points.
The operation started at Magomeni in Kinondoni District, which is said to be especially notorious for theft of water, with the seizure of eight electric water pumps used by vendors.
RC Sadick said only stringent measures, including arrests and prosecution of all those behind the theft of water, would assure legal Dawasco customers of reliable supply of the precious liquid.
“We have no option but to punish those behind the thefts and illegal connections as well as vandals fond of sabotaging Dawasco and Dawasa installations. And this will only have the desired results and expected impact if the authorities cooperate with the people in disclosing the thieves and other criminal elements,” he added.
The RC explained that the operation was not meant to inconvenience the public but, rather, to pin down vandals and water thieves so as to ensure 30 per cent of water stolen or lost through illegal connections is recovered.
He said theft of water make the two firms lose a staggering 2bn/- per month between them, “which has made some of the people perpetrating the criminal practice become filthy rich”.
He said Kinondoni was leading in the number of water thefts and illegal water connections, warning that thorough investigations would be carried until illegal water connections and vending are history.
RC Sadick meanwhile ordered Dawasco and Dawasa to respond to people’s complaints about problems relating to water supply, including illegal connections, quality of the water supplied and leakages, “as these have remained unattended to for too long”.
“You should build a culture of promptly and correctly informing your customers and the public about your activities for them to know what is going, particularly in the event of erratic supply or water cuts or as concerns water bills,” he said.
“Appropriate action will be taken against all those defaulting or reneging on this, regardless of their status,” he added.
He said some officials responsible for distributing and rationing water to different parts of Dar es Salaam were suspected of using their positions to earn hefty amounts of money selling tankers of water in areas facing scarcity.
“Some officials create an artificial shortage of water in some parts of the city so that they can make roaring business. Dawasa and Dawasco have the responsibility of ensuring that this vital service is accessed by as many residents of the city as possible without any inconveniences,” declared the RC.
He underlined the need for Dawasa and Dawasco to show compassion to other people, adding that he would keep an open eye on the functioning of both firms on a daily basis.
He said he knew of the existence of dishonest employees who taint the firms’ image, noting that the best option was to expose them and so that disciplinary and legal measures could be taken against them.
Dawasco managing director Jackson Midala said they have been implementing a raft of strategies in an effort to combat such acts and serve their customers better.
“We will apply modern technology in seeing how best we can work on this in collaboration with the public so that they can feed us with useful hints,” he said.
On Monday the RC directed Dawasco and Dawasa to join hands with police in a search and arrest campaign meant to ensure that only legal customers got the precious liquid.
He said the move should seek to make sure that as many residents of the city as possible have access to potable water – and pay for the service.
Water minister Prof Jumanne Maghembe revealed late last week that leakages and thefts of water account for at least 88 per cent loss in the tap water meant for use in the city, with only 12 per cent reaching legal customers.
SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN
No comments :
Post a Comment