Mwanza, Tanzania 20 March 2017-- UN-Habitat and the Government of Tanzania are hosting various activities in Mwanza to commemorate this year’s World Water Day.

The activities and celebrations aim at sensitizing the communities on the importance of water resources, sanitation and a clean environment are being done through the Lake Victoria Water and Sanitation (LVWATSAN-Mwanza) Project: Mobilization and Institutional Facilitation of Sanitation (UN-Habitat)” which is funded by the European Investment Bank (EIB),  Agence Française de Développement (AFD) and the Government of Tanzania. UN-Habitat, Mwanza Urban Water and Sanitation Authority (MWAUWASA), Bukoba Urban Water and Sanitation Authority (BUWASA), Musoma Urban Water and Sanitation Authority (MUWASA), Mwanza City Council and Ilemela Municipal Council are the project implementers.

World Water Day is celebrated on 22 March every year. In 2017, the theme is wastewater and the campaign is being coordinated by United Nations Environment, United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), United Nations University and the World Health Organization(WHO) on behalf of UN-Water.

Today, Two-thirds of the urban population of Mwanza lives in informal settlements which experience inadequate or no supply of basic services such as water, sanitation facilities, access roads, wastewater and solid waste management. The densely populated informal settlements located near the city center are built on granite rocks and steep slopes this terrain and the nature of the settlement makes it difficult for the communities here to access basic services.

The project is working towards Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target 6.3 that requires us by 2030 to “improve water quality by reducing pollution, eliminating dumping and minimizing release of hazardous chemicals and materials, halving the proportion of untreated wastewater and substantially increasing recycling and safe reuse globally.” Progress towards target 6.3 will also help achieve the SDGs on health and well-being (SDG 3), safe water and sanitation (SDG 6), affordable and clean energy (SDG 7), sustainable cities and communities (SDG 11), life below water (SDG 14), and life on land (SDG 15), among others.

Project intervention entails piloting various sanitation technologies options and systems as well as providing sanitation blocks to schools and public places. Three pilot areas Kilimahewa, Kwimba and Unguja who are beneficiaries of the Simplified sewerage interventions.