BEIJING, Oct. 20, 2001 -- Tanzanian President Benjamin Mkapa Friday laid a foundation stone at the site of a water supply project in the eastern Coast Region, officially kicking off construction of the project.

    The 10.4 billion Tanzanian shilling (US$11.73 million) worth project, a grant by the Chinese government, will assure the availability of 7,200 tons of safe and clean water a day to 105,000 residents in the Chalinze area of the region upon its completion in two years.

    The project comprises of a main station located at Wami River bridge, some 160 kilometers west of Dar es Salaam, which will be fitted with five booster stations and 10 tanks to ensure smooth flow of water from the Wami River throughout the 160 kilometer-long pipelines.

    Addressing thousands of local residents who gathered for the ceremony at the bank of the Wami River Bridge, Mkapa called upon his people to give special care to the water project as a way of ensuring its sustainability.

    He said that many water projects which were established over the past 20 years had died due to lack of maintenance.

    "First you should take into account that this multi-billion project is yours. If the project works properly it is you who are going to benefit. If you leave it to perish it is you who are going to suffer," he said.

    Mkapa said that the government made a development plan aimed at assuring people to get safe and clean water at a distance not exceeding 400 meters by the year 1992 but it failed to do so due to lack of money to sustain the projects and the people could not contribute for the projects.

    "We have abundant water sources in our country but in order to properly utilize the available water for economic and social programs you need to establish infrastructure of water networks which cost a lot of money," he said.

    To that purpose, Mkapa stressed that people should understand that water services were not for free, they were expensive, and it was up to them to contribute for the expenses of running the water projects.

    He urged the Chalinze residents to establish a special committee which would oversee the sustainability of the project, encouraging them to guard the project by training and availing equipment to youths who will manage minor maintenance.

    Furthermore, he also emphasized that the government has been planning to involve the private sector in funding, constructing and even maintaining water projects.

    The Tanzanian president noted that he was very satisfied with the existing brotherly relations between Tanzania and China, saying that Tanzania was waiting for China's further involvement in the economic development on a mutual beneficial basis.

    "The world is changing at a very speed, but the friendship between Tanzania and China remains unchanged but further developed, " Mkapa said.

    Speaking at the same occasion, Chinese Ambassador to Tanzania Wang Yongqiu said that the Chalinze Water Supply Project was the biggest water project China had granted to any friendly country.

    The ambassador said that in line with its promises made at the China-Africa Cooperation Forum last October in Beijing, his government has relieved the Tanzanian government of the outstanding debt valued at about 160 million dollars.

    "This project is another fruit of the economic and technical cooperation between our two countries, and will become another monument to witness the development of the friendly relationship between China and Tanzania," Wang added.

    Tanzania and China started their friendly relations in early 1960s when Tanzanian founder President Julius Nyerere visited several times the then Chinese leaders Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai and others.

    The Chinese government constructed with a grand loan the well-known 1,860 kilometer -long Tanzania-Zambia Railway in the first cooperation project which was followed by dozens of others in various sectors.

(Source: China Daily)