RURAL Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (RUWASA) in Tanga Region has announced plans to drill 46 water wells across all constituencies in the region as part of the National Drilling Programme. The initiative aims to drill 900 wells nationwide, improving rural water access to 85 percent.

RUWASA Regional Manager in Tanga Upendo Lugongo shared the news yesterday during the launch of eight newly drilled water wells in Korogwe District, a ceremony officiated by Tanga Regional Commissioner Dr Batilda Burian.

Lugongo highlighted the agency's commitment to expanding water access to underserved areas. "Our goal is to ensure 85 percent of rural areas and 95 percent of urban areas have reliable access to water," he stated.

In Korogwe District, eight of the 53 wells have already been drilled, particularly in rural areas suffering from drought due to challenging geographic conditions.

Dr Burian said that the initiative is part of the government’s efforts to ease the burden on women, particularly reducing the distance they must travel to fetch water, explaining that five wells would be located in Korogwe Rural and three in Korogwe Urban constituencies, with each constituency receiving nine wells.

“This effort reflects the government’s commitment to improving access to clean water and bringing water services closer to communities,” she said.

The project will benefit approximately 9,450 residents in Korogwe District, significantly improving water access for communities such as Makorora Village where residents previously walked long distances to fetch water.

Tanga Region has also been focusing on improving water and sanitation. The region has increased clean water availability from 61 percent to 90 percent and raised sanitation coverage from 75 percent to 100 percent, reducing water access challenges by more than 57.2 percent.

Currently, 54 percent of rural residents (1,006,775 out of 1,864,361) and 89 percent of Tanga City residents (189,747 out of 213,199) have access to water. Additionally, 52 percent of people in district capitals and town of Mombo (94,282 out of 181,199) now have access to water services.

Two major projects are underway: the Handeni Trunk Main project and the Tanga City Water project, managed by TANGA UWASA. Additionally, 4,869 projects, with 5,369 water collection points, are being managed by RUWASA and local communities.

By December 2019, 51 projects, costing over 26.37bn/- were completed. Currently, 28 ongoing projects, worth 27bn/- are set to serve 197,073 people upon completion.