In Tanzania, Clean Water Improves Lives and Health Outcomes

In the village of Kiperesa, some 34 kilometers from the Kiteto District Council, in northern Tanzania, the arrival of a reliable water supply has transformed daily life for more than 12,000 residents.

For years, women like Hawa Selemani endured daily hardship to get water.

Kiperesa is among 11,628 villages in Tanzania that have recently gained access to clean water through the World Bank-financed Sustainable Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Program (SRWSSP).

The first phase of the Sustainable Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Program was implemented by the Government of Tanzania from 2019 to 2025 as part of its third Water Sector Development Program (WSDP-3), which combined infrastructure development and institutional reforms to improve water supply and sanitation services.

The program aimed to expand rural water and sanitation services across the country while building local capacity to sustain them, ultimately supporting resilience and growth.

In rural areas, water schemes are managed by Community-Based Water Supply Organizations (CBWSOs), which are legally registered through the Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency to maintain the infrastructure and ensure clean water supply for households.

Under the SRWSSP, these local organizations receive comprehensive training designed to equip them with the financial, technical, and governance skills needed to manage systems effectively and extend service connections to more homes.

One such organization is Kimwiche Community-Based Water Supply Organizations (CBWSO), which serves the villages of Kiperesa, Mwitikira, and Chekanao.

When Kimwiche took over the local water scheme in 2021, it managed just five water points. Expanding access quickly became its top priority.

Using revenue from service payments, Kimwiche added 75 new water points across the three villages and reached a 70 percent rate of household connections in Chekanao alone.

“We launched the ‘Connect Water and Get One Unit Free’ campaign to encourage more people to bring water into their homes,” explains Upendo, Kimwiche CBWSO’s manager.

Having previously worked with two CBWSOs in Kondoa, Upendo was familiar with the challenges—but also with the solutions. With training and technical support from the Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency, she and her team were confident they could strengthen operations and sustain results.

Resourceful local management is a key measure of success for SRWSSP’s capacity-building efforts.

Through focused training and mentorship, CBWSO members have gained the technical, financial, and managerial skills needed to operate water systems sustainably.

Beyond managing the schemes, CBWSO leaders play an important role in raising community awareness about the benefits of clean and safe water, while encouraging residents to take ownership as active partners in maintaining their newly connected water systems.

These capacity building efforts have achieved visible impact across the area.

Eight kilometers away from the Kiteto District Council, in Matui Ward, in rural Tanzania, a new water scheme managed by Bwamacha CBWSO now serves over 30,000 residents across three villages: Bwawani, Matui, and Chapakazi.

When the scheme began operations in 2021, it only had 50 households and institutional connections.

Following training under SRWSSP, that number has grown to more than 350.

Hamza Miraji, an accountant for the Bwamacha CBWSO in Matui, admits his understanding of operations was limited before the program.

“In some situations, a customer would seek help, and with little knowledge, we failed to provide immediate assistance. This discouraged many,” said Hamza.

“But I’m glad that with the capacity building, I can now solve issues promptly, sometimes even via phone calls since the line is always reachable.”

For residents like Sauda Nkusa, the impact has been life changing.

“Before the arrival of these water points, we had to walk over one kilometer to get water from ponds, and sometimes we would fetch water two or three times a day,” she recalls.

“With such long trips, it was difficult for many women like me to find time for other economic activities, but now, with water within reach, daily life has become easier and more productive. I can spend more time tending to my farm to be able to earn a little extra income, which was challenging before.”

Inspired by the results of SRWSSP and similar projects, the World Bank has recently launched the Water Forward Initiative, a diverse coalition of countries, financing institutions, technical agencies, philanthropies, and private-sector leaders committed to transforming water security at scale.

Its ambitious objective is to improve water security for 400 million people by 2030, thus fostering food and energy supplies, supporting public health, and encouraging private investment, job creation, and long-term prosperity.

Water for the health sector

The benefits of a reliable water supply extend beyond households. In Matui, access to clean water through the SRWSSP, a joint initiative by the World Bank and the Government of Tanzania, has improved healthcare delivery and reduced disease risks.

At the local dispensary, Clinical Officer-in-Charge Agnes George recalls the struggles before 2021: “We had to buy 200 liters of water daily at a cost of Sh10,000 just to meet the dispensary’s needs. Pregnant mothers had to bring their own 10-liter buckets during delivery and sometimes this was not enough.”

With the continuous water challenges at the dispensary, some women would opt to travel to Kiteto District Hospital, over seven kilometers away, which posed a risk to their lives and the unborn babies.

In 2019, Matui suffered a cholera outbreak due to the reliance on unsafe pond sources at the time. With clean water now flowing at household level and institutions, there have been no such outbreaks since the scheme’s establishment.

“We now emphasize to community members the importance of relying on the available clean and safe water,” says Agnes. “It has made a real difference in preventing waterborne diseases.”