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Water is life, Save water- save life, Water for health, Water for growth, Water for food, Water for all - for life, No water - no future, Bring water to life. These are few of many expressions, which explain the importance, and necessity of water to all our lives. An ancient great philosopher, Thales, alluded that water is the source of the universe. 

Knowing the importance of water, the Tanzanian Government has been trying to ensure its citizens getting water for their daily uses, one of the recent examples being the signing of Lake Victoria Water project on February 3rd, 2004. The contract was with a Chinese company for the construction of the first phase project for the supply of water to Kahama Shinyanga, Western Tanzania region from Lake Victoria.

In the commercial capital, Dar es Salaam, water and sewerage services have been leased to the City Water Services of UK. The services were previously administered by the semi autonomous, Dar es Salaam Water and Sewerage Authority (DAWASA).

There has been also an assurance for the protection of water through a new Bill titled "Environmental Law Management Act 2004," which is going to be tabled this year. The Bill has a section, which prohibits a number of activities within 200 metres of riverbanks and 500 metres of a shoreline of a natural lake, water dam or reservoir.

Another already passed Bill on water is aimed at controlling poison fishing. The Bill makes it a crime for a person to be found in possession of poison near a water body. This was a new tough measure to control poison fishing.

Further, there is the Water Policy of 2002, which came into effect in March 2003. This policy controls the utilization of water and gives the responsibility and power to the people to manage water as the natural resource. The list of efforts by the Government to ensure its people get water is endless, as we can fill pages and pages. The most important thing is that enough water is available and is safe for people to drink.
 

Water shortages sometimes bring people to the extent of exchanging water for food

In Tanzania, the problem of water quality is big as compared to the problem of water quantity. For the water quantity, its obvious and normal for instance in Dar es Salaam which is the biggest city, to find young menpushing wheelbarrows stacked high with 20- litre water jerry cans, and  even long queue of gallons and buckets with a crowd of women fighting for water coming from a leaked pipe.

 Water shortages sometimes bring people to the extent of exchanging water for food, as it was the case in Morogoro Province, Eastern Tanzania  In some areas like the coastal region of Tanga, it was revealed that women do walk about ten kilometres everyday in search of water, something with decreases the efficiency in other activities like farming, hence bringing the possibility of famine.

A research by a reporter from Sunday News in the country has revealed that in the Southern region of Mtwara people use most of their time in pushing a bicycle loaded with three or four containers of 60-80 litre of water up a steep hill for a distance of five kilometres, while others are found waiting in a queue to draw water for two days, literally sleeping there in an area infested with wild animals including lions.

The Mtwara region can only supply 49.8% of the water, which is 45,190,000 litres per day and the consumption rate is between 70 and 100 litres of water per person per day. The remaining 50.2% have no access to water and use alternatives, which are not safe for their health.

The problem in Mtwara is the same in many regions. In the Singida region for example, only 42.5% of the over one million people is currently supplied with water, leaving more than half of the population without that precious liquid.

The problem of poor water quality is serious as it is causing health problems such as cholera, diarrhoea, skin diseases, and trachoma as is the case in Central Tanzania regions and other regions with arid and semi- arid nature of climate.

Cholera cases in Dar es Salaam have been reported now and then, especially when there is a serious water shortage due reasons like the bursting of pipes from the great source of water like the Ruvu River. Although the new company City Water has started doing replacement for the old pipes, the process is slow and the programme is going to take five years. This is to say the problem of water in Dar es Salaam is there to stay until that time.

Due to serious water shortages within very short times, health officials in the country have expressed concern that this could have impacts to people’s health. The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health Mrs. Mariam Mwaffisi, said cholera was on the increase in Dar es Salaam as a result of lack of clean water (IRIN). She noted that with the increase of shortages of clean and safe water, there is great possibility that the control of the disease will be difficult. 

Thesre is a  serious water shortages . People busy with buckets to secure clean water

Water quality is a big problem in Tanzania. A report from Kilimanjaro stated that due to environmentally unfriendly activities the water from Lake Jipe has been severely polluted such that it is no longer fit for human consumption. The minister in the vice presidents office (environment), Mr. Arcado Ntagazwa, confirmed the report, by saying that the pollution has caused 8 000 people to move from the area. 

The problems of water quality are the same in the regions where small scale and large scale mining activities take place. Water sources have been polluted with chemicals and other pollutant agents to the extent that it is not safe for human consumption.

The fight for clean and safe water should be for all. It should be from the individual level to the country level, with everyone playing his or her part to make sure that water is available and is safe and clean for all. If we think that it is the responsibility of our Member of Parliament because he promised us so during the campaigns, really nothing tangible is going to be achieved. By polluting the little water we have, poverty and disease will remain with us for all our lives.

Profile:
Ms. Secelela Balisidya from Tanzania is an award winner for the 3rd World Water Forum Journalists’ Competition 2003, sponsored by the World Bank, with the first place Radio Category in Africa and second place Worldwide. She is also a member to the Water Media Network, an initiative to promote dialogue among Journalists to promote coverage of Water issues through website. Apart form water issues, she also writes on other environmental issues.