Government outlines 2025/26 priority areas in Sh1 trillion Water budget
Water minister Jumaa Aweso (left) receives the Water ministry’s 2025/26 budget speech from his deputy, Mr Kundo Mathew, before tabling the estimates in Parliament in Dodoma yesterday. PHOTO | EDWIN MJWAHUZI
What you need to know:
- Of the proposed budget, Sh943.1 billion has been earmarked for development expenditure—an increase from Sh558.1 billion in the current allocation.
Dar es Salaam. The government yesterday proposed a 62 percent increase in the Ministry of Water’s budget for the 2025/26 financial year, aiming to fast-track 1,544 water projects across rural and urban areas.
Water minister presented a Sh1 trillion budget proposal in Parliament, up from Sh627.7 billion in the current 2024/25 fiscal year.
Of the proposed budget, Sh943.1 billion has been earmarked for development expenditure—an increase from Sh558.1 billion in the current allocation.
The funds will support key initiatives including the reduction of water losses through infrastructure rehabilitation, installation of prepaid meters, and research on water availability.
Mr Aweso said the funding will be used to implement the 1,544 ongoing water projects, of which 1,318 are located in rural areas and 226 in urban centres.
The ministry will also continue to execute strategic projects in various regions.
Other priorities include completing the National Water Master Plan, protecting and conserving water sources, drilling wells, and constructing rainwater harvesting systems.
“We will strengthen the management and monitoring of water quality to ensure it meets both national and international standards. We will also continue improving sustainable service delivery and work to control water losses,” Mr Aweso said.
In the coming fiscal year, the ministry plans to intensify monitoring of both surface and underground water resources through research, inspections of basin water sources, and the official designation of 141 water sources as protected areas.
Mr Aweso also said the ministry will carry on with the construction and rehabilitation of 36 small- and medium-sized dams, design an additional 16 dams, drill deep wells across the country, and design large-scale projects such as the proposed National Water Grid.
Meanwhile, the chairman of the Parliament’s Environment and Water Committee, Mr Jackson Kiswaga, called for timely disbursement of funds, particularly given the low levels of development funding from external sources.
He also urged nine public institutions to settle a combined Sh61.4 billion in unpaid water bills by June 30, 2025, to support effective operations of water utilities.
The committee further noted that the government must pay outstanding contractors’ claims amounting to Sh534.7 billion by the same date, warning that payment delays would negatively affect the implementation of water projects and hinder access to clean water in some communities.
“Delays in paying contractors and settling institutional water bills compromise the financial position of water authorities and weaken service delivery,” the committee cautioned, presenting a detailed breakdown of debts owed by public institutions.
Debating the proposals, Mr Abbas Tarimba (Kinondoni-CCM) urged the Dar es Salaam Water Supply and Sanitation Authority (Dawasa) to consider emulating Tangauwasa’s model of issuing water bonds to finance major projects such as the Kidunda Dam.
