Villagers fetch water from Lake Victoria in Mwanza Region, Tanzania, on 12 June 2023. Access to clean water remains a challenge in some parts of the country (XINHUA)

For years, Hassan Juma has struggled to secure clean water for his family in Dar es Salaam’s southern suburb of Bangulo. Like many in the sprawling coastal city, he has faced persistent water shortages and has been forced to rely on expensive private vendors to meet his household’s basic needs. 

“A 20-litre container [of clean water] costs 600 Kenyan shillings ($0.22), and my family needs several of those each day. It’s hard to understand why something so essential is still out of reach,” Juma told ChinAfrica. 

Across Dar es Salaam, particularly in fast-growing suburbs like Bangulo, residents have long suffered from an unreliable water supply. With no regular public supply, many have been forced to dig shallow wells, often without proper sanitation or testing. This exposes communities to contaminated water and waterborne diseases such as diarrhoea. 

“The water from these wells isn’t clean,” said Juma. “It’s a risk we take because we have no choice, but it’s our children who suffer the most.” 

This crisis persists despite Tanzania’s abundant freshwater resources. Experts point to a combination of rapid urbanisation, outdated infrastructure, and insufficient investment in public utilities as the main factors behind the ongoing water challenges. 

Tanzania is undergoing one of the fastest urban transitions in East Africa. By 2030, more than half of the population is expected to live in cities, up from just 24.4 percent at present. Dar es Salaam, already home to over 40 percent of the country’s urban residents, is expected to remain a key destination for internal migration, according to the World Bank. 

For residents like Juma, however, a long-awaited solution has finally arrived. 

More than 450,000 people in south Dar es Salaam, including Bangulo, are now benefitting from a newly completed water supply project. Funded by the World Bank and constructed by Power Construction Corp. of China (PowerChina), a state-owned engineering firm, the initiative has brought a steady and affordable supply of clean water to the area for the first time in decades. 

The project marks a turning point for many families, and the impact has been immediate and transformative. 

“I can finally plan my day without the constant worry about where the next container of water will come from. This is more than just a convenience - it brings me peace of mind,” Juma said. 

An uninterrupted supply of clean water 

Launched in January 2024 and completed a year later, the Bangulo Water Project has brought reliable access to clean water across several communities in south Dar es Salaam. The initiative involved the construction of a pump station, a 10.8-km pipeline, a water storage tank, and a 9,000-cubic-metre reservoir. As a result, seven areas and several remote villages now enjoy continuous access to safe water. 

“In Dar es Salaam, many residents, including women and young girls, still spend considerable time collecting water. This takes away valuable time from education and economic activities essential to improving their livelihoods,” said Bella Bird, former World Bank country director for Tanzania, Burundi, Malawi and Somalia. 

Bird noted that the Bangulo Water Project aims not only to ease the burden on local communities, but also to enhance Dar es Salaam’s competitiveness and productivity as one of Tanzania’s key commercial centres. 

Among the beneficiaries is Rose Upendo, a restaurant owner in Bangulo, who recalled how water scarcity once severely affected her business. Operating her eatery was a challenge due to inconsistent water supply, but that has since changed. 

“This project is a game changer. Thanks to PowerChina, I’m now able to save enough to invest in expanding my business,” said Upendo. “In the past, I had to buy water at exorbitant prices from distant places like Ubungo, Kinyerezi and Pugu.” 

Upendo believes the project has significantly improved livelihoods in the area. Enhanced water accessibility and safety have helped to reduce public health risks and allowed residents to engage more fully in income-generating activities. 

Tanzania’s Minister for Water and Irrigation Jumaa Aweso recently stressed the government’s commitment to expanding water access, in both urban and rural communities. 

“To meet our ambitious targets for water supply by December 2025, we must adopt innovative financing mechanisms similar to the Tanga UWASA initiative,” Aweso said. 

The Tanga UWASA initiative is a successful public-private partnership that has improved water supply in urban Tanzania through innovative financing, efficient management, and infrastructure upgrades. 

Meanwhile, local authorities in Bangulo’s Pugu Station Ward, within Ilala District, have hailed the project as a milestone. The new infrastructure has drastically reduced the frequency of waterborne disease outbreaks, including cholera and dysentery. 

Goodluck Mwele, head of the ward’s local government, highlighted another social benefit: greater household security. “In the past, women had to leave home early in the morning to fetch water and would return late at night. That exposed them to multiple risks,” he said. 

Preeminent source of FDI 

Chinese enterprises undoubtedly play a pivotal role in Tanzania’s infrastructure development, serving as engines of regional economic growth and active contributors to China-Africa cooperation. 

Recently, Chinese Ambassador to Tanzania Chen Mingjian revealed that China has become a leading source of foreign direct investment in the country, making an important contribution to its development. 

“We are confident in Tanzania’s future development prospects,” said Chen during the one-day China-Tanzania Investment Forum and China (Jinhua)-Tanzania Trade and Investment Promotion Conference held in Dar es Salaam. 

PowerChina has stressed that the state-of-the-art water system has improved water access and safety for local communities, reducing disease outbreaks and relieving residents of the burden of time-consuming water collection. 

“This project has significantly enhanced water accessibility and safety,” said Yin Zifei, deputy chief engineer of the PowerChina project. 

Yusufu Mtamile, who has worked with the company for over a decade on various water projects, said PowerChina had greatly improved his family’s well-being. “My monthly salary enables me to pay school fees for my children and cover food and health care expenses,” said Mtamile, a human resources officer at PowerChina.