The newly appointed Water and Irrigation Minister, Prof Makame Mbarawa yesterday directed the Dar es Salaam Water Authorities (DAWASA) and the Dar es Salaam Water and Sewerage Corporation (Dawasco) to connect one million customers more over the span of the next six months.
The minister had also ordered the two utilities to subsequently triple revenue collections to 15bn/- per month.
Prof Makame gave the directive yesterday in Dar es Salaam when he made an impromptu visit at the Dar es Salaam Water and Sewerage Corporation (Dawasco) headquarters situated along Gerezani Street at the NSSF Waterfront House in the city centre.
He was accompanied by his deputy, Eng Isack Kamwela both making the visit, a day after taking oath of office at the State House on Saturday.
The minister expressed profound concern that of the over 5 million city residents, only 148,000 customers had been connected to DAWASA.
It had been noted that of the registered customers, nearly half of them don’t pay their bills with only 67,000 customers settling their bills on time.He acknowledged that Dawasco’s revenue collections had increased by 49 per cent from 2.7bn/- to 5.2bn/- per month as of November, this year, nonetheless, he highlighted the fact that the firm was owed to a tune of 48bn/- by various state departments, especially security agencies.
Ahead of the minister’s order, DAWASA and DAWASCO were planning to connect only 260,000 customers come June next year and add revenue collections to 8bn/- a proposition that did not augur well with the new minister who termed it as ‘simply unacceptable.’
“I want one million customers connected by June next year,” he ordered, notably that is almost four times what the two authorities had planned earlier.
“There is enough water to supply...I expected the number would be more than 1 million…this means those who are not connected most of them get water through theft,” the minister said noting that there are untapped potential opportunities in the water business which if fully used can change the lives of city residents.
“We can help Dar es Salaam residents get reliable water supply,” he said.
The minister also ordered for the installation of smart prepaid water meters to replace the current post paid meters.
He said the mechanism had proved productive in Uganda and could easily be adopted in the country to check against individuals, agencies and companies dodging their bills.
“If they can clear their phone and electricity bills why not water,” he queried.
Responding, Dawasco CEO Eng Cyprian Luhemeja told the Minister that his office had already launched a study of 200 pilot prepaid water meters. He said the corporation would install the units to see how best they can be applied to improve revenue collections.
He announced that Dawasco was also working on to connect Goba and Salasala residents to its network a move that would help cut the costs of services down to 1,600/- from the current 4,000/- and 5,000/- per unit.
He said once the project kicks off, at least 1,000 new customers would be connected to prepaid water metering.
“We also want to reduce non revenue water to 40 per cent down from 67 per cent now,” he reassured the minister.
Worth noting, Dar es Salaam Water and Sewerage Authority (Dawasa) was implementing grand projects to add water supply to 756,000 cubic metres by next year. The project includes expansion of Upper and Lower Ruvu water treatment plants and distribution lines to supply 180 and 270 million litres of water a day respectively.
There are 20 deep boreholes currently being drilled in the Kimbiji aquifer in Mkuranga District, Coast Region to produce at least 260 million litres of the precious liquid by April next year. Similalry, Dawasa was targeting to improve its infrastructures to reach at least 50 per cent of inhabitants of the city up from 10 per cent.
SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN
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