Feature: Chinese-built water supply project benefits 400,000 Tanzanians

A resident washes vegetables with water provided by the Arusha new water supply system project undertaken by Power Construction Corporation of China, in Arusha, Tanzania, on Jan. 28, 2024. The water supply project includes laying over 620 km of steel pipelines, constructing 11 pools and connecting the water supply pipeline network to 48,000 households, according to PowerChina. (Xinhua/Hua Hongli)

ARUSHA, Tanzania, Jan. 31 (Xinhua) -- Anna Emmanuel, a mother of four residing in Njiro in Tanzania's northern city of Arusha, no longer endures sleepless nights worrying about accessing water for her household needs.

The 32-year-old housewife now enjoys access to clean and safe water just a stone's throw from her residence, thanks to Power Construction Corporation of China (PowerChina), a prominent Chinese construction firm that has constructed the Arusha new water supply system project in Arusha at the foot of Mount Meru.

She is among the 400,000 beneficiaries of this initiative financed by the African Development Bank, with the project's completion date set on June 27, 2023, following its groundbreaking in December 2018.

"Before the water supply project was undertaken we used to travel long distances looking for spring water which in most cases was not suitable for drinking, cooking food, and washing clothes," Emmanuel told Xinhua in a recent interview. She noted that they instead had to buy water and most of the time people could not afford it because of the financial constraints they faced.

Wearing a broad smile, Emmanuel said that, since the water project's completion, they now have access to water for household needs, and can save the little money they had as they no longer need to purchase water.

"Not only we are nowadays getting clean and safe water, but we are also free of waterborne diseases that we contracted from using contaminated spring water," she said.

The water supply project includes laying over 620 km of steel pipelines, constructing 11 pools and connecting the water supply pipeline network to 48,000 households, according to PowerChina.

Jin Denghui, the project manager, said the project involved sourcing water from deep groundwater at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest mountain about 100 km away from Arusha, and supplying it to the targeted households in Arusha every day.

He said the project has improved the living conditions of residents and has helped expand the local economy. During the construction of the project, they provided more than 4,000 jobs for the local people, organized professional training in welding, and trained a group of technical and management talents.

In the implementation of the water supply project, the Chinese company actively assumed social responsibilities by donating a laboratory to a local school, conducting multiple accident rescue demonstrations and maintaining municipal roads affected by erosion. It received expressions of gratitude from various sectors of society.

The Tanzanian Ministry of Water formally conveyed its appreciation to PowerChina for the company's significant contribution to completing the Arusha water project in a letter sent in January 2022.

Anthony Kusaya, a human resources assistant with PowerChina for five years, said he was comfortable with his job which has enabled him to provide for his family and resolve financial challenges he previously encountered.

"My experience with working for PowerChina has also helped me broaden my skills," said Kusaya, stressing that the long-standing cooperation between China and Tanzania has brought mutual benefits to the people of the two sides.

Residents in Arusha wash clothes with water provided by the Arusha new water supply system project undertaken by Power Construction Corporation of China, in Arusha, Tanzania, on Jan. 28, 2024. The water supply project includes laying over 620 km of steel pipelines, constructing 11 pools and connecting the water supply pipeline network to 48,000 households, according to PowerChina. (Xinhua/Hua Hongli)

Jin Denghui, project manager of the Arusha new water supply system project, inspects a pump station of the project undertaken by Power Construction Corporation of China, in Arusha, Tanzania, on Jan. 28, 2024. The water supply project includes laying over 620 km of steel pipelines, constructing 11 pools and connecting the water supply pipeline network to 48,000 households, according to PowerChina. (Xinhua/Hua Hongli)