BY DIRAMAKINI
IN the sun-drenched plains of mainland Tanzania, where dusty roads wind through bustling towns and rural communities, a quiet revolution is underway.
Clean, reliable water once a distant dream for millions is flowing closer to reality, thanks to a monumental partnership between India and Tanzania.
In villages where women once walked miles with heavy buckets balanced on their heads, the clock ticks for new pipelines now to carry fresh water directly to community taps.
In towns where children missed school due to waterborne illnesses, the promise of clean water is going to transform future.
By any measure, water is a soul destiny for any living creature. It shapes health, livelihoods, cities and the future of nations.
In Tanzania, where rapid urbanization and climate variability place unprecedented pressure on water resources, ensuring reliable access to safe drinking water has become a national priority.
Rising to this challenge is a landmark example of South–South cooperation: the India–Tanzania Water Partnership, one of the largest and most ambitious water infrastructure programs ever undertaken in East Africa region
It is backed through a USD 500 million line of credit from the Government of India through Exim Bank-India and implemented by the Ministry of Water of the United Republic of Tanzania.
Note that the program is transforming the water landscape across 24 towns, touching dearly the lives of more than 6.9 million people.
At its heart, this partnership is not just about pipes, pumps and treatment plants: it is about dignity, health, productivity and a shared vision for sustainable development.
The Government of Tanzania has placed high priority on the increased provision of potable water supply and improved sanitation services to urban and rural communities to improve their health and living standards, hence increasing productivity and overall development.
A Strategic Vision for Water Security and Development
Tanzania’s Water Sector Development Programme (WSDP) places safe and reliable water supply at the center of national development.
Improved access to potable water not only directly reduces disease burden, but also empowers women and children, enhances industrial and commercial productivity and strengthens climate resilience.
The India-supported program aligns seamlessly with this vision, providing long-term infrastructure designed to meet demand of up to the year 2040.
The program divided into six implementation packages and integrates the entire water value chain: development of raw water sources through intakes and boreholes, construction of raw and clear water transmission pipelines, establishment of modern water treatment plants, creation of ground-level and elevated reservoirs, installation of advanced electro-mechanical systems and expansion of distribution networks deep into urban and peri-urban communities.
The geographical scenes and technical scale is unprecedented. From coastal towns such as Kilwa Masoko, Pangani, Korogwe, Muheza and Handeni to inland growth centers like Singida, Njombe, Songea, Mbinga, Chunya, Chamwino, Manyoni, Geita, Chato, and Bukombe and across regions including Tabora, Songwe, Simiyu and Kagera, the project addresses diverse hydrological and topographical conditions.
Rivers, dams, boreholes and lake-based sources such as those drawing from Lake Victoria, popularly as National Water Grid are being optimized to create resilient, multi-source systems that reduce vulnerability to drought and climate shocks to the community.
Modern water treatment plants, ranging from small-town systems of five million liters per day to major facilities exceeding 50 million liters per day, are being constructed using up to date technologies which are tailored to water quality.
The system is catalysed with hundreds of kilometers of transmission pipelines for now crisscrossing towns and hinterlands, linking water sources to treatment plants, reservoirs and households.
It has to be noted that elevated service reservoirs and booster stations ensure pressure stability, equitable distribution and round-the-clock supply.
The project will augment water supply sources and distribute high-quality water to meet current and future demands up to 2040. Briefly, the project area covers mainland Tanzania, and divided into six packages across 24 towns of Handeni, Korogwe, Muheza, Pangani, Kilwa Masoko, Nanyumbu, Ifakara, Njombe, Wanging’ombe, Rujewa, Chunya, Makambako, Chamwino, Chemba, Manyoni, Singida, Kiomboi, Mugumu, Mpanda, Kasulu, Sikonge, Urambo, Kaliua, Kayanga, Geita and Chato.
Progress, Partnership and a Shared Future
“Access to clean and reliable water is fundamental right to human and national development. The India–Tanzania partnership reflects the two states shared commitment to build resilient infrastructure that directly improves the lives of people, today and for the generations to come,” Minister for Water, Jumaa Aweso (MP), unveiled during the project contract signing ceremony.
Implementation is well on-going and contract for the six packages were signed in June 2022, and works commenced in April 2023. Despite challenges such as geology, hard rock strata and vast logistics distances, substantial physical and financial progress has been achieved by December 2025, with multiple towns approaching commissioning stages.
Overall progress across the packages stands at 63.06%, reflecting steady advancement even as revised completion dates extend to the end of 2026 to prioritize quality and durability.
Package II, covering Kilwa Masoko and Nanyumbu, leads progress at 87.25%, with major pipelines laid, treatment plants nearing commissioning, and reservoirs prepared for hydrotesting.
Communities in these areas are already anticipating access to reliable water. It is an answer in reducing waterborne diseases and freeing kids time for education and income-generating activities.
Package VI (Kayanga, Chato, and Geita) has reached 69.91%, using a source of Lake Victoria intakes advancing rapidly. In Kayanga, the 16.5 milion litres a day water treatment plant has completed civil works, and over 36 km of pipelines are in place, bringing water supply closer to reality.
Package I, serving Korogwe, Muheza, and Pangani, has reached 75% overall completion. At Tabora Village, the 51 milion litres a day water treatment plant the construction reached a milestones, with major structures including clariflocculators and reservoirs successfully hydrotested.
Electromechanical installations are progressing steadily, ensuring reliable pumping, efficient distribution, and robust water quality assurance.
Even the construction of packages facing tougher terrain show strong momentum. Package IV (Mugumu, Kiomboi and Singida), at 37.20%, has completed borehole drilling in Kiomboi, pipeline installation and reservoir construction in Mugumu, directly addressing water scarcity in arid zones.
In Package III, challenges such as hard rock formations in Rujewa and revised financial proposals in Chunya have been met with determined corrective actions, maintaining steady progress at 49.50%.
From a financial standpoint, the project remains robust. Advance payments of 15% released across all packages, and certification levels exceed 40% in several components reflecting a sound financial management and effective oversight.
Leading Indian firms named JWIL Infra, AFCONS-VIJETA JV, Larsen & Toubro and Megha Engineering & Infrastructures Ltd. (MEIL) along with WAPCOS, a Government of India undertaking serving as project management consultants are driving the effort.
Working closely with the Ministry of Water, local government authorities and consultants, they blend Indian technical expertise in large-scale water infrastructure with Tanzanian institutional leadership and on-ground knowledge, delivering context-sensitive, nationally owned solutions.
Progress highlights include advanced construction at treatment plants with completed clariflocculators, filter houses and sludge systems, extensive pipeline laying and hydrotesting and nearly finished intakes, reservoirs and electromechanical installations.
Beyond construction, the partnership invests in a long-term sustainability through capacity building, operational readiness and technology transfer, strengthening local institutions and workforces for efficient management well beyond project completion.
The project value lies in its human impact. Reliable access to clean water means fewer waterborne diseases, reduced healthcare costs and healthier communities.
For women and children, it means hours saved from fetching water, time redirected to education, livelihoods and family well-being. For businesses, hospitals, schools and industries, it means dependable supply to support economy growth and service delivery.
In areas such as Muheza in Tanga region, residents share stories of transformation: "Before, we used to walk miles for murky water.
Now, with reservoirs filling and pipelines advancing, our children now dream bigger; improved well-being, healthier families, performing schools, thriving farms", says Mwadawa Selemani, a mother of five kids.
At a time when climate stress and water insecurity are rising globally, the India–Tanzania partnership stands as a compelling model of development-focused South–South cooperation.
It demonstrates how concessional finance, technical expertise, and mutual trust can deliver transformative outcomes.
As pipelines are laid, treatment plants built and tanks filled, the impact is already being felt across towns and communities.
Its legacy will endure for decades among the population, resulted into stronger cities and a more water-secure Tanzania sustained by clean, and reliable water.