By Mboneko Munyaga
The government has set aside shs 2.3 billion for the reconstruction of Nanja Dam that supplied water to half of Monduli district in Arusha region during its heyday of dependability.
The District Commissioner (DC), Ms Gloriana Julius Kimath, told The Arusha News that in the meantime, especially during this dry season, the government has also mobilised emergency water supply to hardest-hit villages including Naalarami, Engorika, Lengiloriti, Arkatani, Arkaria, Mtimmoja, Nanja, Engoroji, Lepruko, Losimingori and Mbuyuni.
“Nanja Dam shall be built anew as the government has in this fiscal 2025/26 set aside Sh. 2.3 billion for the project,” said Ms Kimath. She explained that Nanja Dam burst its levees sometime back and plunged the arid district into a serious water crisis. The dam supplied water to 32 of the district’s 62 villages.
Apart from the emergency measures and the plan to rebuild Nanja Dam, the government is also implementing an ongoing water supply project to 13 villages worth Sh 20 billion, Ms Kimath said.
Villagers said domestic animals had started to die due to the prolonged dry spell this year, reminiscent of the 1980s drought when hundreds of livestock died, forcing many pastoralists to migrate to towns and cities where they were employed mainly as domestic and industrial guards.
Meanwhile, the water crisis continues to bite. Sources told The Arusha News that a 20-litre water container sells for between Sh 700 and Sh 1000 at Nanja, up by seven and 10 times more. In Lepruko, some 20 kilometres west of Nanja, the same container sells for between Sh 1,500 and Sh 2,500, making life almost unbearable for most homesteads.
