VP urges water agencies to improve services

Dar es Salaam. Vice President, Dr Philip Mpango, has urged water authorities to ensure they educate the public on how to read meters to ensure that thVP waterey pay water bills according to their usage.

Dr Mpango said that despite the good performance of the water sector, it still faces many challenges, one of them being complaints of high bills from the public. This could be because some water authorities charge customers more than the indicative water bill rates set by the Energy and Water Utilities Regulatory Authority (Ewura).

Dr Mpango directed Ewura to work on the issue to ensure that customers pay bills according to their usage.

He also directed public institutions to pay all arrears of water bills to the relevant water authorities before the end of the first quarter of the financial year 2023/24. This is because, he said, delaying paying the bills on time makes it difficult for the authorities to fulfill their obligations of providing efficient services to the people.

Dr Mpango issued the directives yesterday when he officiated the official launch of the Performance Review Report for the Water Service and Sanitation Authorities for the year 2021/22.

He also told all authorities to ensure that they consider the quality of water before distributing it to the public. The water distribution services are not consistent with the revenue generated, he noted, so authorities should make sure they adjust their plan and focus on the commercial aspect of their operations.

In the water sector, there are people who connect water to the public in violation of the law and who are not employed by the relevant authorities, Dr Mpango noted. As a result, these unscrupulous people cause complaints, and worse, there are reports that they are working with the employees.

“I instruct Ewura to look into this and, if they find culprits, to take strict action,” Dr Mpango noted.

Speaking at the event, Ewura director general Dr James Andilile said the performance reports remind the water authorities to continue providing services in accordance with the procedures and to ensure that citizens get the service on time.

He said Ewura will continue to supervise those authorities and advise them so that they can work diligently. He said the report highlights authorities that have performed well in collecting revenue; in water quality, in environmental protection, and in connecting water service to the public. About 38 out of 57 have performed well.

Meanwhile, the Vice President asked the Ministry of Water to evaluate the performance of large water projects and compile report.