Government and Community Involvement in Environmental Protection and Flood Risk Management: Lessons from Keko Machungwa, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Abstract

Since the 1960s, most cities in developing countries have faced a high rate of urbanization, which in turn has caused more harm to low-income earners, in urban areas. A majority of low-income earners most often face difficulties in accessing land in planned areas, as a result they are forced to build houses in unplanned settlements that are vulnerable to natural hazards. The situation is worse to the extent that people encroach the most vulnerable areas (hazard lands). As concentration of people increases, these unplanned areas become more unsafe to live in. This is partly due to the risks associated with natural hazards particularly flooding. Further, vulnerability of unplanned settlements in developing countries is aggravated by hosts of problems caused by many factors, including inadequate Government involvement in: environmental protection especially managing hazard lands and helping the community to minimize risks associated with hazards. This paper addresses this issue. It argues that community and Government initiatives are vital to any strategy for flood risk reduction and environmental protection in general. The study employed both the primary and the secondary data sources. Data collection tools and techniques involved in this study included: Checklist to various leaders, interview using questionnaires, focus group discussion, analysis of aerial photographs and non participant observation. A total of 70 households from within Keko Machungwa were interviewed. The study revealed that flooding is largely contributed by construction done by a large scale developer on a water course; and when affected community initiated a strategy to solve the problem they partially succeed due to inadequate support from the Government and other stakeholders. These findings could be useful to strengthen policy and legislation in environmental protection, management and flood control as well as in T. Sakijege et al. intervening land use conflicts between local community and developers.

Access to Improved Sanitation in Informal Settlements: The Case of Dar es Salaam City, Tanzania

“…The high cost charged could be one of the reasons why very few respondents use gulper empting services. In an interview with one respondent it was revealed that flooding and poor solid waste management also contributes to the poor sanitary conditions in Keko Machungwa, this finding is similar to the findings by Sakijege et al (2014) and Kasala (2014). Evans (2005) and WHO (2014) have argued that efforts to improve sanitation need to consider initiatives beyond construction of improved toilets.…”

“…12 of 2009. The Act provides that… every person in Tanzania has to have access to effective, efficient, and sustainable sanitation services… The poor toilet conditions found in the two cases, reaffirm the views aired by (Hutton, Haller, & Bartram, 2007), and Sakijege et al (2014) and other scholars that, sanitation provision in Dar es Salaam and in other cities of developing countries is deficient.…”

“…This considers the fact that most informal settlements are situated in low-lying areas that have high water table and are frequently flooded during rainfall. Sakijege et al (2014). In that regard, the pit empting cost charged for using a gulper technology in Keko Machungwa need to be re-examined if improvement on access to sanitation are real desired.…”

“…Available research knowledge provides that over 90% of the population in Tanzania urban areas depends on pit latrines (UCLAS, 2004). Sakijege et al (2014) notes that, poor people in urban areas are pushed into locations that lack sanitation facilities and are prone to natural hazards particularly flooding. Recharge of groundwater which raises water table is a common situation in informal settlements located in flooding areas.This condition causes overflow of pit latrines and thus sanitation is adversely affected.…”

“…The problems include: inaccessibility, inadequate community participation, constraints on cost recovery, lack of cooperation, inadequate community participation, unwillingness of local community to participate in waste collection, and reluctance in paying for solid waste collection fees. In a flood risk management study, Sakijege et al (2014) identifies flooding and high water table as problems contributing to poor sanitation in Keko Machungwa. These findings reaffirm the position that, efforts to improve sanitation need to go beyond construction of toilets and provision of empting services.…”