About 437,200 residents of Dodoma City and parts of Bahi District are set to benefit from a five-year Sh9 billion water project aimed at improving access to reliable water, reducing losses and strengthening the management of water supply services.
Funded by the South Korean Government through the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), the project will focus on improving existing water infrastructure, upgrading distribution systems and building the capacity of institutions responsible for providing water services.
The project is also expected to help water authorities identify and reduce losses, improve service efficiency and ensure that investments in water infrastructure deliver greater benefits to citizens.
Speaking on August 21, 2026, in Bahi District during the launch of construction works for a pilot system, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Water, Engineer Mwajuma Waziri, said the initiative was designed to address both infrastructure and operational challenges affecting water supply.
She said the Government wanted the investment to translate into better services for citizens rather than focusing only on the construction of new infrastructure.
“The value of the project should not be measured only by the amount of money invested, but also by the benefits it will bring to citizens and the ability of these services to continue being delivered efficiently over the long term,” Engineer Mwajuma said.
The Permanent Secretary said reducing water losses remained an important priority because water produced by utilities but not delivered to consumers, or supplied without being properly accounted for and billed, deprives water authorities of revenue needed to improve services.
She said the Government would continue implementing policies and strategies to promote efficient use of water resources while strengthening the capacity of water authorities to provide sustainable services.
According to Engineer Mwajuma, the project will also generate technical knowledge and experience that could be replicated in other parts of the country, particularly in improving water distribution and reducing losses.
The Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Tanzania, Eunju Ahn, said the project could provide a model for improving water management and infrastructure maintenance in Tanzania.
She said the initiative would support the Ministry of Water, the Dodoma Urban Water Supply and Sanitation Authority (DUWASA) and the Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (RUWASA) in strengthening their capacity to maintain and manage water infrastructure.
Ambassador Ahn said development cooperation between Tanzania and South Korea had reached about US$875 million between 1987 and 2024, highlighting the long-standing partnership between the two countries.
For residents, the project is expected to translate into more reliable water services, better use of existing infrastructure and improved efficiency in the delivery of a service that is essential to households, businesses and public institutions.
