MANEROMENGO, Tanzania — Chinese government on Aug 11 handed over a clean water project to Tanzania, seeing 55 wells in Tanzania’s rural areas since 2013.

The project will provide tens of thousands of local people with safe water, Chinese Ambassador Lu Youqing said when speaking at a handover ceremony in Maneromengo, Coast Region, located over 100 km from Tanzania’s commercial capital Dar es Salaam.

“Many Tanzanians are facing difficulties in getting access to safe water. As a friend, China need to do what Tanzania need,” said Lu Youqing.

After the completion of the project, which was executed by China Geo-engineering Corporation, 30,000 to 40,000 Tanzanian people in rural areas of Coast Region have got access to clean drinking water, Lu said.

“Actually, almost every Chinese company investing in Tanzania has drilled wells for local people, helping them to get safe water,” he said.

The clean water project is part of pledge made by Chinese government to Tanzania under the 4th ministerial meeting of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation.

Tanzania’s Minister of Water and Irrigation Jumanne Maghembe hails Chinese aids to improve the livelihoods of Tanzanians people.

He said the wells aided by China will ease the water supply problem in the two regions as the East African country has been facing water shortage for a long time.