Strengthening Sanitation Futures in Mwanza North: From a Plan to a Citywide Vision

Mwanza is growing faster than its sanitation systems were ever designed for. As Tanzania’s second-largest city and a critical hub on the shores of Lake Victoria, Mwanza sits at the intersection of opportunity and risk. Rapid urbanization, expanding informal settlements, and aging sanitation infrastructure are placing increasing pressure on public health, the environment, and the lake itself. Untreated wastewater and faecal sludge continue to contribute to pollution in Lake Victoria, threatening ecosystems, livelihoods, and water security far beyond the city limits.

It was against this backdrop that Mwanza Urban Water and Sanitation Authority (MWAUWASA), with support from development partners, set out to rethink how sanitation should work — not just for today, but for the next generation.

Updating a Plan - and Expanding the Vision

In alignment with Tanzania’s Dira ya Maendeleo 2050 and the National Water Sector Development Strategy, MWAUWASA developed an integrated Water and Sanitation Development Master Plan covering Mwanza North, South, and Central, which also covers parts of Ilemela Municipality, Nyamagana, Magu, and Misungwi Districts.

Originally framed around shorter-term targets, an existing general sanitation master plan was designed to guide development up to 2025. However, as Mwanza’s growth accelerated and climate and environmental risks became more pronounced, it became clear that incremental updates would not be enough. The city needed a long-term, citywide sanitation vision stretching to 2050 - one that could respond to population growth, protect Lake Victoria, and remain flexible as conditions change.

With grant funding from the European Union under the Green & Smart Cities / SASA Initiative, and the French Development Agency (AFD) as the implementing agency, SUEZ was contracted, in collaboration with the Ministry of Water and MWAUWASA, to update the Mwanza Water and Sanitation Master Plans and develop feasibility studies and preliminary designs for Mwanza North and neighbouring areas.

Sanivation joined this effort as a subcontractor to SUEZ, leading the sanitation components of the work.

What Support to Mwanza Looks Like in Practice

At its core, this project aims to help Mwanza make informed, future-ready investment decisions.

Rather than copying existing plans, the team focused on updating and strengthening what already exists — building on the 2016 sanitation master plan, testing assumptions against current realities, and expanding the planning horizon to 2050. This work supports MWAUWASA in moving from high-level vision to investment-ready sanitation pathways that can be implemented in phases over time.

Sanivation’s role has included:

Upgrading the inventory of existing manholes
Revision of the hydraulic performance of the existing sewer system
Updating the regional sanitation master plan for Mwanza (2025–2050)
Conducting detailed feasibility studies for wastewater and faecal sludge management systems for Mwanza North
Estimating wastewater demand and effluent production across multiple planning horizons
Developing preliminary designs for conventional sewerage, centralized wastewater treatment plants, simplified sewerage, and DEWATS where appropriate.
This work is being delivered through a two-stage planning approach (2030–2040 and 2040–2050), with cross-cutting focus areas including climate resilience, carbon footprint reduction, environmental and social safeguards, resettlement planning, and gender inclusion.

Early Progress and What’s Working

To date, the project has made strong progress:

The inception report and updated master plan have been completed
Feasibility assessments for Mwanza North are over 95% complete
Draft preliminary designs for priority sanitation systems in Mwanza North are underway

The updated master plan clearly shows how sustainable sanitation access can grow from less than 20% today to full citywide coverage by 2050, using a mix of sanitation solutions tailored to different settlement types. This includes strategic sewer expansion, decentralised systems, and improved faecal sludge management — all designed to reduce pollution flows into Lake Victoria.
By planning at a citywide scale, rather than project-by-project, Mwanza can prioritise investments that deliver the greatest environmental and social impact, particularly for low-income and informal communities.

Learning While Delivering

As with any complex urban project, the journey hasn’t been without challenges. Shifting timelines and evolving priorities from external stakeholders led to minor delays, largely driven by utility scheduling. Rather than slowing progress, the team used this time to strengthen coordination and improve the quality of upcoming deliverables.

Several key lessons have emerged:

Proactive communication builds trust. Transparent engagement with partners helped maintain confidence and avoid escalation when timelines shifted.
Early scoping matters. Strengthening early cost definition and coordination with survey teams reduced misalignment and improved efficiency downstream.
Time can improve quality when used intentionally. The approved no-cost extension has allowed the team to refine designs, integrate safeguards, and ensure the outputs are truly fit for purpose.

Looking Ahead: A 25-Year Roadmap for Mwanza

The next phase of work will focus on completing preliminary designs, finalizing feasibility studies, and preparing environmental, social, climate, and gender action plans. Together, these outputs will form a coherent, investment-ready roadmap to guide sanitation development in Mwanza for the next 25 years.

More than a technical update, this project represents a shift in how sanitation is planned — from short-term fixes to long-term, inclusive, and environmentally responsible systems that protect Lake Victoria while improving the quality of life for Mwanza’s residents.

Sanivation looks forward to continuing the close collaboration with SUEZ, MWAUWASA, and government partners as we work together to deliver sustainable, citywide sanitation solutions for Mwanza’s future.

For more information, please reach out to us at info@sanivation.com.