PROBLEMS of water availability in Dar es Salaam have been resolved following repairs to the Upper Ruvu water treatment plant, said to have been handicapped by an electrical fault.

Jumaa Aweso, the Water minister, made this affirmation yesterday when launching the Kilimanjaro Water Development Project, a bilateral initiative with Kenya.

It is being organised in collaboration with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF).

He said water and electricity situations have been solved at water sources after technicians solved the Upper Ruvu plant fault and it is now fully operational.

He urged staff at the Dar es Salaam Water and Sewerage Authority (DAWASA) to remain vigilant and ensure the public receives clean and safe water, insisting that DAWASA must not become complacent or ignore concerns of the public.

Its responsibility is to provide water to the people and they must proactively ensure that clean and safe water is delivered, he stressed, while Mwajuma Waziri, the permanent secretary, confirmed that the DAWASA management “has been instructed to address the issue.”

While not specifying the exact directives given to DAWASA, she said the public needs to remain patient as efforts to resolve water access hiccups are pursued.

"Water is available in abundance in many areas. If there is a location without water, it is likely due to treatment plant faults or a fault in the pipes, affecting some areas," she said, underlining that even as the complaints are being addressed, water was flowing abundantly yesterday.

The public needs to report any damage to water infrastructure, she said, insisting on accurate information about water availability in different areas, plus educating the public when there are faults in the water treatment plants.

Journalists are welcome to visit DAWASA’s office to obtain accurate information about water access in the region, she added.