Curb water theft first before raising tariffs

Water supply continues to be problematic in Tanzania, much as the country boasts numerous water sources.

What frustrates water supply efforts is essentially poor management of the key resource and this is the main issue to be tackled.

It is disturbing that Dar es Salaam, for instance, has to contend with ever-worsening water blues because of massive leakages and theft. Reports show that about 50 per cent of the water which leaves the reservoirs is lost enroute to the consumers.

Rationing has become routine to most of those enjoying any modicum of access to piped water.

Ambitious programmes like the National Water Sector Development Strategy aimed at promoting integrated water resources management and development of urban and rural water supply, adopted in 2006, has not helped much.

In their bid to boost water supply, our water authorities normally go for the easier option – increasing tariffs. However, the truth is that no matter how much you charge consumers, supply won’t improve significantly if issues of leakages, theft and lack of compliance (which is a form of them too!) are not sorted out.

It is ironical that the Dar es Salaam Water and Sewerage Corporation (Dawasco) which is charged with managing the supply of the precious liquid in the city, is presently owed a whopping Sh40 billion by consumers while its operations are getting bogged down because power suppliers Tanesco, which is owed Sh6.3 billion by the hapless water firm, has disconnected it!

Numerous private and State institutions as well as shameless individuals that use massive amounts of water aren’t paying! It means that even if Dawasco was to further hike tariffs in a bid to raise funds to improve water supply, only the conscionable among us would bear the brunt. It shouldn’t be like that!

Everybody must pay for the water they consume first – and the relevant authorities must ensure that – before anyone even thinks of increasing charges.