Rural Water Supply, Tanzania

Provision of Consultancy Services for Programme Management Support for Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Component Under Water Sector Development Programme (WSDP)

Water supply and sanitation services in Tanzania in 1990s were inadequate. In 1991, the Government took a major step on its course to provide access to adequate, safe and reliable water supply services to their citizens by preparing and approving the first National Water Policy.

However, as it was before, the Policy maintained the government basic roles as the sole implementer and provider of the services, leading to unsustainable management and development of water resources. A critical review of the water sector carried out in 1995 identified a number of shortfalls in the “National Water Policy 1991”, amongst which were: the under estimation of the role that could be played by the private sector, necessity of a stronger involvement of the various stakeholders, especially the communities and inadequacy of the legal and institutional framework. These findings led to the review of the rural water supply component of the “National Water Policy 1991” with the aim of articulating more clearly the rural water supply sub-sector policy objectives as well as the strategies, which would be taken in pursuance of the stated objectives. The policy was then revised into the National Water Policy 2002 (NAWAPO 2002), which introduces elements of devolution and public and civil service reforms. It is strongly influenced by national policy instruments that address issues of poverty and economic development and incorporate water sector reforms as one of several related components which, when combined, offer a multi-sector approach to poverty reduction and economic growth. The general policy objective in the rural water supply sub-sector is to improve health and alleviate poverty of the population in the rural areas through improved access to adequate and safe water.