Population, Environment and Development in Kinondoni District, Dar Es Salaam

By Mbonile, Milline J Kivelia, Julius

Introduction The study investigates the relationship at the microlevel between population, environment and development in Kinondoni District in Dar es Salaam. It argues that deep-rooted poverty can lead to overdependence on a single resource and rapid population growth can lead to the invasion of marginal lands and environmental degradation and poverty (Madulu et al. 1993), and recognises the importance of community-based environmental conservation. The specific objectives of the paper are to examine the impact of economic activities on natural resource management; and to assess the impact of environmental conservation organisations on natural resource management.

The study area

As indicated in Figure 1, the study area is located in the northeast of Kinondoni District. It is characterised by flat coastal areas and the climate is influenced by the southeast and northeast monsoons which bring rainfall throughout the year. The vegetation consists of swampy mangroves, woodlands and scrub.

Since the study required the socioeconomic and environmental profile of Boko, Bunju and Ununio villages, purposeful sampling was applied at ward and village levels. The number of households randomly sampled in the three villages was 297 (Boko 102, Bunju 93 and Ununio 102).

Housing and environment

The main objective of the National Human Settlements Development Policy of 2000 is to provide adequate and affordable shelter for all and sustainable human settlement. In the study area, most households have houses roofed with corrugated iron sheets and the walls of houses are largely built of concrete bricks. The floors of most households have cement floors (Table 1 and Plate 1).

Most households use firewood and/or charcoal for cooking. The overdependence on firewood and charcoal as a source of energy leads to the excessive exploitation of woodlands in the vicinity and in neighbouring regions. Electricity is used only for lighting, although another lighting energy source is kerosene. Few use solar energy due to the high initial installation costs.

Water availability is essential because it is used for food production and other economic activities (Mbonile 2005, 41; Kjellen 2006). However, most households have no piped water and so buy from neighbours and vendors (Plate 2). Households encounter several water supply problems, such as scarcity, vandalising water pipes, exorbitant prices and unsafe water.

The sanitation conditions of any human settlement have a direct impact on the environment. In the study area, the most common toilet facility is the pit latrine and few households use flush toilets due to lack of water. The urban authorities are overwhelmed by the demand for the disposal of solid waste materials. Hence, they tend to be disposed of by methods that lead to further pollution (Kalwani 2001, 19). Most households throw solid waste into pits, or sometimes just anywhere available. The haphazard throwing of solid waste spreads solid wastes in the streets and open spaces which can be a significant health risk (Table 2 and Plate 3).

The study area is located along a submerged coastline with inlets and drainage systems favourable for mangroves and aquatic organisms. However, settlements have interfered with these, with the result that drainage has become intermittent or has been diverted from their original channels. River channels are also used for sand mining, which threatens the stability of the ecosystems of rivers. Few households use these rivers for drinking water and bathing because of pollution. The major sources of pollution of rivers come from sand mining, and household and industrial wastes (Table 3).

The coastal areas are endowed with valuable resources like mangroves, which provide wildlife habitats, biological diversity, fresh and ocean water. The natural resources in the study area include the beach, sand, corals and fish, mangroves and wildlife. However, sand mining is a threat to transport, marine shores and river channels because the informal miners mine anywhere where sand is abundant (Table 4). Environmental conservation shows that an increasing number of households and institutions have planted trees, an action which supports national environmental policies in the country (Plate 4).

The utilisation and protection of natural resources

The utilisation of natural raw materials is a key issue in environmental management. The natural resources found in the villages of the study area include stone and sand, both of which are heavily used in the local construction industry. There is also limestone available, which is used in cement manufacturing. Coral reefs are sometimes burned to extract lime. However, the consequences of the utilisation of these natural resources end up by promoting environmental degradation (Plates 5-7).

Most households stated that natural resources should be protected by using both bylaws and national laws, and this response is very strong in areas where there are the community-based protected areas, such as those of the Kinondoni Integrated Coastal Area Management Programme (KICAMP). Others felt that cutting down trees should be strictly prohibited, and a tree-planting programme should be implemented by every household and institution. Other popular strategies include keeping the environment clean at all times to maintain the good health of the people, the introduction of a properly managed waste disposal scheme, controls on mining sand, and measures to prevent vegetation control by fire management. Most of all, local people insisted on the provision of environmental education. Interestingly, awareness of natural resource management was very high in all these villages, due to the presence of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) such as KICAMP.

Environmental implications

Most households have modern houses with a big demand for construction materials, especially sand. The use of firewood and charcoal for cooking threatens the environment. The lack of piped water leads to households purchasing water from vendors and neighbours. Most households use ordinary pit latrines, well established as a source of underground water pollution, and these drainage systems are further polluted by liquid and solid wastes. Solid wastes are haphazardly deposited near the households. Nonetheless, most households have seen the importance of protecting natural resources by reinforcing the bylaws of natural resource conservation and environmental policies more generally. The role of CSOs like KICAMP in the conservation of resources is very important, for they promote conservation awareness at the community level.

Acknowledgement

We would like to thank the KICAMP for allowing us to use the results of the Kinondoni Survey.

References

Kalwani JDS 2001 The effect of rapid urbanization on the environment: a case study of Moshi Municipality, Tanzania Tanzania tournai of Population Studies and Development 8 11-26

Kjellen M 2006 From public pipes to private hands: water access and distribution in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania Department of Human Geography, Stockholm University

Madulu N F, Mbonile M J and Kiwia H D Y 1993 Environmental impacts of migration in rural Tanzania in Population, environment and development United Nations, New York 73-91

Mbonile M J 2005 Migration and intensification of water conflicts in the Pangani Basin, Tanzania Habitat International 29 41-67

MILLINE J MBONILE AND JULIUS KIVELIA

Department of Geography, University of Dar es Salaam, PO Box 35049, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

E-mail: mmbonile@udsm.ac.tz; jkkivelia@yahoo.co.uk

This paper was accepted for publication in April 2008

Copyright Royal Geographical Society Jun 2008

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