AN acute shortage of water supply continues to haunt Mpanda township in the new Katavi Region for more than a week now, causing distress to the residents.

A random survey by the 'Daily News' has established that the shortage has pushed up prices to alarming rates from 500/- to 800/- per a bucket of 20 litres of water. The 'Sunday News' for the past two days witnessed many residents mostly women and children flocking to public water tapes here in Mpanda town to get a place in the queue and wait for hours to get water.

According to the sources here, they attribute the water woes in Mpanda town and its environs to failure by Mpanda Water and Sewerage Authority to pay power bills to Tanesco for quite sometimes now.

However, a cross-section of water vendors here who were interviewed by the ÒSunday NewsÕ yesterday admitted to have generated super profit by hiking the prices of 20 litre jerry can of water three folds from the previous price of 300/- per the same quantity of water for the past week.

Also Mpanda Water Supply and Sewerage Authority Manager, Mr Galus Kasonso admitted that the authority has failed to timely pay power bills to Tanesco, an act that led the latter to disconnect power supply to the authority. According to Mr Kasonso, residents in Mpanda town entirely depend on Milla Dam for their water, pumped by machines powered by electricity while others get their supply of water from River Manga.