Tanzania Ibumu Water Project is underway!

Emmanuel International Tanzania (EITZ) has been working with Ibumu village for more than a decade. The village is a participant of the IMARIKA project which is focused on improving the lives of subsistence farming families through mobilized churches, economic empowerment, and environmental restoration. Water is a big problem in this village and EITZ has been invited to assist with this need.

The current water supply in the village is a gravity system that was constructed by DANIDA in 1980. The water source is clean, being a spring, which rises in the mountains to the east. After nearly 40 years, population growth has vastly outstripped the water supply capacity, and only five water points and one cattle trough remain partly operational. The secondary school, being new and on the far edge of the village, does not have any water supply. Students at both the primary and secondary schools collect water from wherever they can to bring to school with them. The village leadership see the inadequate water supply as the biggest challenge facing them at present.

“Water is a big challenge for us in Ibumu. There are 2 subvillages that have no waterpoints at all and the other waterpoints often don‛t have water so women are having to walk for half an hour each time to get water. Students are carrying water to the secondary school every day, which is about 2 km from the nearest water source.” Village Chairman Kigula

The development of the village is held back by a lack of adequate water supply. The government currently has no plans to rehabilitate or construct a new water supply scheme for Ibumu village. Following successful water and sanitation projects elsewhere, the village leaders have requested assistance from the Diocese of Ruaha (DR), who has, in turn, asked EITZ to assist them with this.

The existing water supply system has continued working mainly due to its robust and easy to maintain design. The new water supply design has similar characteristics – a gravity supply system with no treatment process required, feeding adequate number of water points distributed throughout the village including the schools and dispensary and will include a water storage tank in the system to accommodate higher flow demand with more watering points.


It is important to include the community in the construction of the new water system to allow ownership and pride of their village. Workshops will be held with village leaders and community members to encourage them to identify their assets and take ownership of the project. Ajery Kahise, EITZ project manager, will work with the village and sub village leaders to coordinate labour to dig trenches for the pipes, all of which will be done by community members. The community will be charged a tariff for the operational costs of the water supply, expected to be around TZS10,000 ($5.40CDN) per person per year. At the primary and secondary schools an appointed group which includes staff and students, the school water committee, will be trained in the use and maintenance of the water point and sanitation facilities. This will help to ensure the school students understand the importance of good hygiene and sanitation and its practical application. In the community, an executive committee, who will form a legally registered Water Users Association, will be facilitated. The committee, together with village leaders and religious leaders, will be fully trained on all aspects of running the community water supply including national water law and policy.

As part of the project, construction will take place at both the primary and secondary schools. At the primary school 2 new latrine blocks will be built (one for boys, and one for girls) with handwashing stations and at the secondary school, handwashing stations at the latrine blocks will be constructed.

This project is st July 2021, providing clean water to Ibumu in 2022 to 2499 people! We are thankful to Guernsey Overseas Aid, a key funder of this project and EI donors like yourself to make this project a reality of clean water to the villagers of Ibumu.