THE Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (RUWASA) has launched the 246m/-worth water project in Migilango Village in Iramba District, Singida Region set to relieve over 4,000 villagers from water woes.

Speaking over the weekend during the launch and handing over of the project, RUWASA manager in the district

Eng Ezra Mwacha said that the project has been built with the support of Danish-based Poul Due Jensen Grundfos Foundation through the Dar es Salaam-based non-profit organisation--Water Gate Community Link.

Eng. Mwacha said the project will enable the community to reduce gender-based violence (GBV) where women, children, and students were the biggest victims of searching for water.

Mwacha said another benefit of the project will enable villagers to avoid illnesses caused by the lack of clean and safe water, to get water closer, unlike at the beginning when they had to walk 14 kilometres to follow the water service.

John Mudende, chief executive of Water Gate Community Link, said that the project will have a volume of 50,000 litres and there will be four distribution points (DPs) to fetch water for the people of the village.

He said that for the project to last a long time and continue to provide water services to the people, the government, district water authorities, and people should ensure that the infrastructure of the project is not damaged.

"This project has been built with the money of people around the world who fought and saved so that we Tanzanians, especially in this village, can get water and thus go with the government's policy of putting a bucket on the mother's head," he said.

Mudende said that the financiers have a procedure to visit the projects for which they have given money, so it will not be a good thing when they come to find that the project is damaged and does not provide water.

Ngusa Breck, manager of Grundfos Foundation in Tanzania said that for the infrastructure of the project to continue to be maintained; the funds that will be collected during the sale of water should be used to cover the maintenance of the project when there are challenges.

Breck said that the biggest challenge in other areas after the project was launched was the coming out of water. Still, after one year the water is not coming out and the main reason is the lack of money for infrastructure maintenance.

"If the money lenders come and find that the project does not provide water, it means that the people of Migilango village will be the first to prevent the people of other villages from getting the water project, you will also cause other stakeholders who support water projects to see that Tanzania is not a safe place to send water projects," he said.