Adella Mbabazi
July 02, 2018
More than three million Tanzanians in rural areas will be connected to safe water supply, while another four million people will gain access to improved sanitation through a new IDA credit for a Rural Water and Sanitation Program-For-Results approved by the World Bank Board of Executive Directors.
The new $350 million Sustainable Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Program aims to increase access to rural water supply and sanitation services in 17 administrative regions and support the Government in building strong institutions to sustain access to rural water supply.
“The quality and strength of Tanzania’s human capital is critical, especially as it aspires to become a middle-income country,” said Bella Bird, World Bank Country Director for Tanzania, Malawi, Burundi and Somalia.
“There is a strong relationship between water and sanitation access and improved child health outcomes, which is critical for productivity and learning, particularly for girls whose school completion rates are lagging.”
A key issue for Tanzania is the chronic undernutrition which affect one in three children (2.7 million children) and is linked to poor sanitation. Only 11 percent of rural Tanzanians have access to an improved toilet, only 50 percent of public schools in rural areas have the required number of toilets, and only 43 percent with functional handwashing stations.
Through this Program, up to 1,250 communities and 1,500 schools will benefit from improved sanitation facilities, which directly supports the Government’s National Sanitation Campaign.
The Government’s second Water Sector Development Program (WSDP-2, 2016-2019) is intended to strengthen sector institutions for integrated water resource management and improve access to water supply and sanitation services across Tanzania. The World Bank-financed Program supports the WSDP-2 and includes funding to help establish the anticipated new government agency for rural water supply.
“Under this new World Bank program, activities will be strategically designed to enhance the capacity of the national, regional, and local governments to monitor, ensure quality and improve and sustain water service delivery,” said Kristoffer Welsien, World Bank Water Supply and Sanitation Specialist and co-Task Team Leader for the Program.
“The Program will also strengthen environmental management supervision and operationalize existing policies and procedures.”
The World Bank-financed Program utilizes a results-based financing instruments. “The use of a results-based approach used for this sector is an ideal opportunity to create the right incentives for institutions to deliver better quality and lasting services to the population, and to institutionalize good practices,” said Iain Menzies, Senior Water Supply and Sanitation Specialist for the World Bank and co-Task Team Leader for the new Program.
“It will accelerate and enable a shift from the current focus on constructing water supply infrastructure, to building the institutions that will deliver sustainable water services.”
