Waste water recycling project in the lower Moshi area has increased availability of water sourced from municipal oxidation ponds for paddy irrigation schemes, according to the Public Relations Officer of Moshi Urban Water Supply and Sanitation Authority (MUWSA), Ms Dora Killo.
She said the project, which is funded by the UN Development Programme, was launched in 2007, during celebrations to mark Maji Week held in Kilimanjaro at national level, as the community response to shortage of fresh water resources due to climate change.
‘‘Farmers in Kilimanjaro are experiencing reduced flows of fresh water to their farms, thus affecting agricultural production and food security,’’ Ms Killo told the ‘Daily News’, adding that the scarcity of water has resulted into decrease in agricultural production.
She said on several occasions, conflicts occured as farmers scrambled for little available water resources for irrigation, which the project is addressing with the aim of mitigating the problem. Ms Killo explained that the project was set up to demonstrate how the technology of recycling waste water for irrigation can work and promote environmental sanitation through safe disposal of municipal liquid waste.
Project implementation involved treatment of waste water through waste water stabilization ponds and releasing treated waste water from maturation ponds through special channels to farmlands as well as clearing and demarcating farm plots for new farms, she said. Ms Dora revealed that the project was also intended to change the mindsets of farmers on the suitability of odourless waste water for agricultural production.
Source: PETER TEMBA in Moshi