Tanzania calls for desalinisation investment for Dar es Salaam

18 Apr, 2013

The Tanzanian government has called on investors to assist with its plan to purify sea water from the Indian Ocean, converting it into drinking water for residents of Dar es Salaam.

The government has requested collaboration from the private sector to invest in its proposed desalinisation process to increase the supply of water to Dar es Salaam, according to the deputy minister for water Binilith Mahenge.

The minister said that the government was unable to establish desalinisation plants on its own, due to the substantial costs involved.

High population coupled with widespread leakage from Dar es Salaam's dilapidated network of water pipes has led to a severe water shortage.

The current demand for fresh water in the city is 450 million litres per day but the capacity of state-run water utility Dawasco is only an average 300 million litres.