Tanzania vows to invest in water basins management

ARUSHA, Tanzania, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- Tanzania has vowed to allocate enough funds during the 2018/19 fiscal year to boost management of water sources in the east African nation's nine water basins, a senior official said on Tuesday.

Isack Kamwele, Minister for Water and Irrigation, made the pledge when speaking to journalists alongside water stakeholders' meeting held in western Tanzania's region of Tabora.

He said that Tanzania has nine basins including Lake Victoria Basin, Lake Tanganyika Basin, Lake Rukwa Basin, Lake Nyasa Basin, Great Ruaha River Basin, Ruvuma and Southern Coast Basin, Wami River Basin, Pangani Basin and Internal Drainage Basin.

"All these basins are of great importance for the country's socio-economic development," the official said, adding: "That's why we want to invest heavily in managing them for the current and future generations."

He said that apart from allocating enough financial resources, the government will also carry out massive eviction operation to remove all people who have invaded the country's water sources.

The Tanzanian official said in order to check environmental degradation, his ministry will set aside the budget for the country's major nine water basins including Great Ruaha River Basin, which is a lifeline for millions of people living downstream as well as Ruaha National Park.

Recently, the Tanzanian government launched a special team to salvage the Great Ruaha River's ecology system in south-western Tanzania which was in a bad shape.

The area offers ample opportunities ranging from agriculture and hydropower generation, wildlife, though in recent years, the basin faces long dry seasons and several years of less-than-average rainfall. Enditem