By Lake Zone Watch writer
Tanzania yesterday kicked off celebrations to mark this year’s World Water Week in the national capital, Dodoma, with a key message that safe, secure, and sufficient supplies of fresh water would yield far-reaching benefits, from faster economic growth to a lower risk of violent conflict.
Achieving these goals requires significant sustained investment – particularly in protection of water sources – to meet surging demand.
This year’s Water Week theme of Bridging Borders: Water for a Peaceful and Sustainable Future, asks communities to recognize the regional and global interconnectivity and underscores the collaborative effort needed to achieve a peaceful and sustainable future.
Speaking at the inaugural ceremony of the Water Week, the Director of Administration of the Ministry of Water, Wanyenda Kutta, urged Tanzanians to invest in natural solutions to reverse the declining trend of water as an essential natural resource.
She said the aim of celebrating the Water Week is an opportunity to measure the progress made in the water sector and to craft new policy strategies to solve the challenges inhibiting the “Water for All” national goal.
She said all events during the Water Week have been designed to reflect the launch of sustainable water projects undertaken to supply the precious liquid to the people and the need to preserve sources in the country.
Researchers say humanity’s consumption of fresh water has long exceeded the rate of replenishment and that this essential natural resource is running out.
They say consumption of fresh water has increased six-fold over the last 100 years, and demand is still rising, with agriculture, industry, and energy accounting for 90 per cent of the total. At least 55 per cent more water will be required by 2050 to meet the demand created by economic growth, urbanization, and a global population of nearly ten billion people.