In the United Republic of Tanzania’s central highlands, Singida town has long faced a serious and worsening water crisis. Daily demand from households, businesses, schools, and health facilities their demands approximately reach to 25 million litres, while the existing water system has been able to supply only about 10 million litres. This gap nearly 15 million litres per day, or around 60% of demand has meant dry taps, long queues and persistent uncertainty for families and businesses.
Thus, the government mark out to end all these for the benefit of people, and to ensure a frog jump in economic activities among the society. That situation is now improving.
Under the 28 Towns Water Project, the Ministry of Water institutions through the Internal Drainage Basin Water Board (IDBWB) in collaboration with the Singida Water Supply and Sanitation Authority (SUWASA) and the Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (RUWASA), have completed the first phase of a major groundwater development programme at the Mtamaa B and Mwankoko well fields.
A total of 11 newly drilled and developed boreholes have been drilled using national man power, tested, and integrated into the programme. When operated for 22 hours, the boreholes are capable of producing more than 16.8 million litres per day. This is enough to significantly reduce the earlier deficit and bring Singida much closer to the project target of 17.6 million litres per day.
The achievement was driven by detailed hydrogeological investigations, intensive fieldwork, rigorous pumping tests, and practical engineering solutions for challenging ground conditions using equipment procured using government funds.
Singida’s water challenge was not theoretical. Official assessments revealed; current daily demand is 24,888,582 litres, while existing production is about 10 million litres (roughly 40% of requirements), therefore a daily deficit is of approximately 14.89 million litres.
This deficit has contributed to water rationing and limited economic activity, while also increasing the burden on households that rely on alternative water sources.
The 28 Towns Water Project set a clear goal to achieve 17.6 million litres per day by pumping for 22 hours an equivalent to an average production rate of about 800,000 litres per hour.
To meet the target, new high-yield groundwater sources were required. Hydrogeological studies identified promising aquifers at Mtamaa B and Mwankoko, and drilling began on 21 April 2026. By the end of September 2026, the first phase had been completed successfully.
At Mtamaa B, six boreholes were drilled in which Five boreholes completed and subjected to full pumping tests and one borehole in final stages of completion
Tested yields ranged from approximately 25,700 to 57,400 litres per hour, with borehole depths between 150 and 180 metres. Most wells were completed using 8-inch UPVC casings.
The Mwankoko well field proved especially productive. Five boreholes were drilled or developed and incorporated into the programme, and all five were tested. Key results include;
A borehole drilled in 2025 producing about 133,000 litres per hour. A borehole originally developed under the earlier UVIKO Project delivering about 94,000 litres per hour.
Newer wells producing approximately 80,000 to 140,000 litres per hour. The Mwankoko wells use both 8-inch and 12-inch UPVC casings, reflecting higher yields encountered in the aquifer.
When fully completed and tested boreholes are operated for 22 hours. Combined production (phase completed): 16,616,644 litres per day. Including the remaining borehole under completion; expected to reach about 16,833,080 litres per day.
That volume is comfortably above Singida’s previous daily shortfall of 14.89 million litres and brings the town within striking distance of the project target of 17.6 million litres per day. The numbers represent a significant shift: a water deficit that had shaped daily life in Singida for years has effectively been closed at the production level, allowing the town’s water utility to begin planning for greater reliability rather than operating under persistent shortage conditions.
Drilling deep into the central Tanzanian plateau is rarely straightforward. The field teams encountered several recurring technical challenges, but each was addressed through practical engineering solutions. In areas where soft rock formations caused borehole walls to collapse, temporary casings were installed to stabilize the boreholes until permanent lining could be completed. There were also instances where drilling tools and equipment became stuck underground. Specialized fishing operations were deployed to recover the equipment and allow drilling to continue.
In some boreholes, the initial drilled diameter proved too narrow to accommodate the required permanent casing. Drillers responded by reaming the boreholes, enlarging them sufficiently to allow the correct casing to be installed without compromising the structural integrity of the wells. These challenges did not bring the programme to a halt. By the end of September 2026, the completed boreholes had undergone continuous pumping tests of up to 74 hours, with their yields and water quality verified. The ability to resolve unexpected problems in the field while maintaining progress is one of the less visible, but important, achievements of the programme.
Closing a daily water gap of almost 15 million litres is a major technical achievement, but its real significance lies in what a more reliable water supply can mean for the people and economy of Singida. For households that have had to ration water or pay premium prices for tanker supplies, increased production offers the prospect of more consistent access. For small businesses, including markets, food-processing enterprises and livestock-related activities, a more predictable water supply can create a more stable operating environment. Schools and health facilities will also be better positioned to maintain essential hygiene and sanitation standards.
The reliance on groundwater provides a degree of resilience against fluctuations in surface-water availability associated with changing rainfall patterns. However, groundwater resources must be carefully managed to ensure that increased abstraction remains sustainable.
The project team is not presenting the first phase as a permanent solution to every future water challenge. Operating all the boreholes for 22 hours a day leaves relatively little room for routine maintenance, equipment failure or unexpected interruptions. For this reason, the project recommends further drilling so that the required volume can eventually be produced within an 18-hour pumping day. Additional capacity would provide greater operational flexibility while creating a strategic reserve for periods when individual boreholes or pumping equipment are temporarily unavailable.
The project also recommends establishing dedicated monitoring wells at both Mtamaa B and Mwankoko to allow authorities to track groundwater levels and aquifer behaviour over time. Detailed geological and hydrological boundary studies are further recommended to help protect the new groundwater sources from pollution and excessive abstraction.
Singida continues to grow. Population in numbers, new businesses and rising economic activities will inevitably increase demand for water. The first phase of the 28 Towns groundwater programme does not eliminate every challenge, but it has decisively broken the pattern of chronic shortage that has constrained the town for years. The project demonstrates how targeted groundwater development, supported by practical field engineering and long-term resource monitoring, can help transform a water-stressed urban center into one with a more reliable foundation for future growth. The experience also demonstrates that systematic hydrogeological investigation, disciplined drilling, rigorous pumping tests and adaptive engineering can deliver substantial results even under difficult geological conditions.
It highlights, too, the importance of institutional coordination and cooperation. Technical supervision by the Internal Drainage Basin Water Board, combined with collaboration with SUWASA and RUWASA, has helped translate identified groundwater potential into productive and reliable water sources. Through these combined efforts, the first phase of expanding Singida’s water sources has been successfully completed.
For Singida residents, however, the most important measure is much simpler, the prospect of a tap that runs more reliably. A town that once faced a 60 percent water supply deficit now has a substantially stronger foundation for water security. The boreholes at Mtamaa B and Mwankoko are more than engineering structures; they represent an investment from the government in the health, livelihoods and future growth of a rapidly developing town.
Further phases will build on this foundation. For now, Singida has reason to look towards its water future with cautious but genuine confidence.