Africa Water, Sanitation & Hygiene December 2018 Vol.13 No.6 | Page 9

NEWS in brief
Around Africa
Mt Meru slopes, also posing engineering challenges.
Upon its completion, a total of 355 kilometres of pipelines
for clean and safe water as well as sewage would have been
laid around the city and its environs.
A total of 56 boreholes would be drilled, 10 water treatment
tanks constructed and dozens of waste water ponds.
Once completed, the multibillion shilling project is
expected to reduce water loss in the fast-expanding Arusha
city to 25 per cent from the current 40 per cent.
Presently, the city is getting only about 44 million litres a
day against the demand of 94 million litres. The target is to
avail 200 million litres a day.
“We have been waiting for this for years,” remarked
Walter Maeda, the chairman of the regional chapter
of the Tanzania Chamber of Commerce, Industry and
Agriculture (TCCIA).
He said the steady water supply would serve as a catalyst
for economic activities and hoped Auwsa would address
the chronic problem of water leakages in Arusha.
Water minister Prof. Makame Mbarawa said the water
project in Arusha city was one of the 500 major water
projects being implemented by the government across the
country.
He said some Sh. 600.5bn and Sh. 96bn has been pledged
by multi-lateral agencies for the water supply projects
in the lake zone regions and Mwanga-Same-Korogwe
respectively.
the outbreak. With Government, UNICEF co-chairs the
WASH Emergency Strategic Advisory Group (E-SAG) to
coordinate the response.
“With the imminent onset of seasonal rains, this European
Commission contribution is timely to cut cholera
transmission, help reduce the risk of future cholera
outbreaks and mobilise communities around prevention
and response activities,” said UNICEF Regional Director
for East and Southern Africa, Leila Pakkala.
The current outbreak began in Zimbabwe on 5 September
2018, with the epicentre in the Glenview and Budiriro
suburbs of Harare, the result of a local borehole reportedly
contaminated with sewage leaking from burst pipes.
“We are committed to help those in need in Zimbabwe.
We are stepping up our efforts to address the outbreak of
cholera. We will do everything to prevent the spread of this
disease and stop it as soon as possible,” said Commissioner
for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management Christos
Stylianides.
To date, almost 10,000 suspected cases and over 50 deaths
have been recorded in the current cholera outbreak.
Ongoing intensive interventions, including contact tracing
and case investigations, have helped to reduce new cases
from hundreds to tens per day.
The Indian government, he added, had also promised to
extend a Sh. 1.2 trillion for upgrading of water projects in
26 major towns in the country.
Zimbabwe
EU and UNICEF working together to prevent and
control cholera in Zimbabwe
The European Union
has contributed €400,000
to support UNICEF’s
response to Zimbabwe’s
cholera outbreak.
The contribution will fund
critical water, sanitation
and hygiene (WASH) activities to address the challenges
driving the epidemic. In cholera-affected and high-risk
areas, over 250,000 people are expected to benefit from
disinfection of water sources and follow-up on cholera
cases with hygiene promotion and support materials
including soap.
UNICEF is collaborating with the City of Harare and non-
governmental organization (NGO) partners to respond to
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