EUGENIA MADHIDHA (Msasanuri)
Water is life, goes an old adage, as it constitutes more than 75 percent of the human body and is used for various vital purposes and ways to save flora and fauna. But, the same life-giving precious liquid can turn lethal as it tends to keep dangerous organisms not only harmful to humans but to life in general.
This has led to humanity battling water borne diseases such as cholera and dysentery for a long period and though they found the answer to the problem - clean water - it is unfortunate that provision of it to every citizen has just but remained a pipe dream for many societies.
It is against this background that the problem has been causing headaches within governments and societies world over as they face many challenges such as shortage of water treating chemicals, equipment, vandalism and theft, in their bid to provide the rare liquid.
Tanzania like any other Third World country has not been spared as the problem has been prevailing for many years now. And, as if it was not enough, efforts by the government to provide wananchi with clean water have been watered down by acts of vandalism and thefts of water equipment such as pipes and valves, especially by scrap metal traders.
In Dar es Salaam, the Dar es Salaam Water and Sanitation Authority (DAWASA) and Dar es Salaam Water and Sanitation Corporation (DAWASCO), have been suffering vandalism and theft for a longtime despite steps to counter the stealing of pipes and other water equipment affecting the water supply network in the city.
According to DAWASA, more than 360 pieces worth some 700m/- have been stolen since 2006. The pieces include valves, fire hydrants, flanges, coupling, water meters, pipe joints and steel cover and are still working on recovering them.
“Thieves of water and sanitary system parts live among us and sometimes some of us see them in action. We, DAWASA and DAWASCO, call upon you to report to us such thefts for members of the society are victimized. We will treat all SMS information as secret and will deal with such information without delay and legal steps will be taken against suspected thieves,” the organization said in a statement recently.
These problems have been denying wananchi access to clean water in Dar es Salaam to an extent that some of the residents have been forced to fetch water from unprotected shallow wells, something that posses a great danger to their health.
Water supply, because of vandalism and thefts has been erratic in most suburbs in the city causing untold suffering among residents who are forced to buy the water exorbitantly from hawkers who eke a living out of the desperate residents. Most Dar residents buy water from street vendors every day, paying 250/- to 300/- equivalent to 18 to 22 US cents for a 20-litre container. These prices, however, are many are times hiked to 500/- per container as vendors take advantage of the scarcity.
This provides a source of income for some unemployed city youths. A survey conducted by this paper revealed that water vendors can earn between 10 000/- to 15 000/- per day, depending on demand.
This quest for making quick buck has seen many people engaging in uncouth activities such as stealing of water equipment or illegal connections to the water supply network. DAWASCO has been for a long-time discovered many illegal connections that they disconnected, by-passing official connections to avoid paying for the water used.
Last week, three people were arrested in Sinza, Dar es Salaam for allegedly tampering with DAWASCO infrastructure. The company’s chief commercial officer, Raymond Mndolwa said that the suspects drilled into big eight inch water pipe and allegedly connected their pipes that enabled them to access water and started selling it to customers including big water vehicles.
“We have followed it up and discovered that a fleet of about 50 vehicles come here to fetch water and sell it in various parts of the city, which amounts to sabotage. The sabotaged pipe is the one that supplies water to the entire Sinza area,” remarked Mndolwa.
Six water pumps were confiscated in the operation at three houses in the area. Such acts of sabotage are counter productive as they thwart efforts by the government to provide clean water to wananchi as greedy citizens take advantage and make it an opportunity to rack millions of dollars.
Though the announced DAWASA water supply improvement plan of developing two underground aquifers in two phases comes as good news for residents who have been grappling to get clean water, there is need to make sure that the equipment is guarded to reduce vandalism and thefts.
The first phase, expected to begin this September, 20 deep wells will be drilled, producing 260 000 cubic metres a day. And, in March 2010, construction will begin on the expansion of Lower Ruvu treatment plant to increase output to 170 00 cubic metres of water per day. The Upper Ruvu is also penciled for expansion from 80 000 to 140 000 cubic metres per day.
This comes as sweet music to Dar residents but with the global economic crisis continuing to bite, the difference will remain the same if everyone does not play his or her role to safeguard water supply equipment. Failure to do so, Dar es Salaam will remain a thirsty city.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
EAC common market to benefit cross border traders
EUGENIA MADHIDHA (Msasanuri)
ABDUL is a cross-border-trader who every month makes a trip to Kenya where he sells various items. This Yombo, Kilakala resident is earning a living through trading and has been doing this for a long time now for his family to survive.
However, the man has been facing so many challenges hindering his business from prospering. He complained that the tax charged for his goods at the border is just too much such that sometimes he is forced to bribe whoever will be in charge for that day for him to pay less.
Besides this man, many traders have been complaining of similar problems expressing that sometimes they are forced to leave their goods at the border after failing to pay for the expenses. Innocent traders who are not interested in bribing just pay for the expenses but after selling their goods they find themselves frowning all the way to the bank because they would be having very little profits.
The traders also complained that sometimes there are a lot of road blocks and long queues at the border. This inconveniences them as they will delay them in their business since time in business is money. “Most of the time we loose our customers because they are snatched by those who would have come before us”, said one of the traders
As many traders were living in such misery, light is beginning to shine as the EAC moves into a common market next year, improving the performances of the Customs Union.
Prime Minister Mizengo Pinda was quoted by the media saying that bureaucracy at border posts; unnecessary length customs procedures, police road blocks and other factors were causing high costs of doing business in his speech at EAC high level Regional Forum on Customs Reforms and implementation of a fully fledged Customs Union in Arusha recently.
The PM added that there will be free movement of goods enabled by the Customs Union and also free movement of persons, labour, services and capital.
This came as sweet music to many traders whose businesses have been crippled by the hustles and who had lost hope as they can now get back on their feet.
As if it to promote the Customs Union, the Ministry of East Africa Cooperation organized a trip for twenty Tanzanian traders to other EAC member countries in November this year.
According to a statement issued to the press, the trade mission aims to mobilize investments to Tanzania as well as cementing existing business relations. Traders are going to learn various production and trading techniques.
Other cross-border traders are expecting to benefit a lot from their colleagues going for the trip. “We expect those traders to also come and empower us with the knowledge they will be having”, said Abdul adding that a candles looses nothing by lighting another candle.
In September last year thirty local traders were involved in a trip to Rwanda, Kenya, Uganda and Burundi which was made a success by the Tanzania Private Sector foundation (TPSF) in collaboration with the Ministry of East Africa Cooperation.
Statistics released in the statement indicated that Tanzania increased its exports to Kenya from $93.3m in 2005 to $232.2m in 2008. In 2006 Tanzania’s exports to Kenya were $103.7m and $123.4m in 2007
“Clearly as the EAC moves into the next higher level of integration, with the planned on-set of the common market, the deeper liberalization of Tanzanian capital account would give a much needed filling to the free movement of capital in the region,” said the EAC Secretary General Juma Mwapachu as he was commenting on the PM’s plan to review Tanzania’s capital account conditions which at present impedes the broad participation of Tanzanians in the region capital market.
However, if these are implemented properly and all promises fulfilled, traders are going to benefit a lot and operate their businesses without any hick-ups, hence making their life easier.
ABDUL is a cross-border-trader who every month makes a trip to Kenya where he sells various items. This Yombo, Kilakala resident is earning a living through trading and has been doing this for a long time now for his family to survive.
However, the man has been facing so many challenges hindering his business from prospering. He complained that the tax charged for his goods at the border is just too much such that sometimes he is forced to bribe whoever will be in charge for that day for him to pay less.
Besides this man, many traders have been complaining of similar problems expressing that sometimes they are forced to leave their goods at the border after failing to pay for the expenses. Innocent traders who are not interested in bribing just pay for the expenses but after selling their goods they find themselves frowning all the way to the bank because they would be having very little profits.
The traders also complained that sometimes there are a lot of road blocks and long queues at the border. This inconveniences them as they will delay them in their business since time in business is money. “Most of the time we loose our customers because they are snatched by those who would have come before us”, said one of the traders
As many traders were living in such misery, light is beginning to shine as the EAC moves into a common market next year, improving the performances of the Customs Union.
Prime Minister Mizengo Pinda was quoted by the media saying that bureaucracy at border posts; unnecessary length customs procedures, police road blocks and other factors were causing high costs of doing business in his speech at EAC high level Regional Forum on Customs Reforms and implementation of a fully fledged Customs Union in Arusha recently.
The PM added that there will be free movement of goods enabled by the Customs Union and also free movement of persons, labour, services and capital.
This came as sweet music to many traders whose businesses have been crippled by the hustles and who had lost hope as they can now get back on their feet.
As if it to promote the Customs Union, the Ministry of East Africa Cooperation organized a trip for twenty Tanzanian traders to other EAC member countries in November this year.
According to a statement issued to the press, the trade mission aims to mobilize investments to Tanzania as well as cementing existing business relations. Traders are going to learn various production and trading techniques.
Other cross-border traders are expecting to benefit a lot from their colleagues going for the trip. “We expect those traders to also come and empower us with the knowledge they will be having”, said Abdul adding that a candles looses nothing by lighting another candle.
In September last year thirty local traders were involved in a trip to Rwanda, Kenya, Uganda and Burundi which was made a success by the Tanzania Private Sector foundation (TPSF) in collaboration with the Ministry of East Africa Cooperation.
Statistics released in the statement indicated that Tanzania increased its exports to Kenya from $93.3m in 2005 to $232.2m in 2008. In 2006 Tanzania’s exports to Kenya were $103.7m and $123.4m in 2007
“Clearly as the EAC moves into the next higher level of integration, with the planned on-set of the common market, the deeper liberalization of Tanzanian capital account would give a much needed filling to the free movement of capital in the region,” said the EAC Secretary General Juma Mwapachu as he was commenting on the PM’s plan to review Tanzania’s capital account conditions which at present impedes the broad participation of Tanzanians in the region capital market.
However, if these are implemented properly and all promises fulfilled, traders are going to benefit a lot and operate their businesses without any hick-ups, hence making their life easier.
Will Dar auxiliary police end the problem of garbage?
EUGENIA MADHIDHA
The place is filthy as heaps of garbage keep on piling especially from vegetable vendors strategically positioned along the street and those from a nearby market. Not only is the place an eyesore, but also a pungent smell comes out of the dump causing everyone who passes through that place to spit.
Surprisingly, just a few meters away from there is a woman selling food stuffs, opposite is a restaurant and a swam of flies probably from the garbage dump are not only unwanted visitors but are an inconvenience to those enjoying their delicious meals.
The dinners are not only forced to ward off the flies but find themselves removing those that would have been fried together with their meals. This is not a fictitious story from a novel but describes the situation on the ground along one of the streets in Karakoo.
At the place you can find all kinds of garbage you may think of, banana, oranges and other fruit peals, rotten vegetables, papers, empty water bottles and so on. What flabbergast me most is that the people contributing to the ever piling rubbish are aware of the consequences. Diseases like cholera, dysentery, stomach upsets just to mention three are not exceptions when it comes to dirty environment.
“We know of the problems we might face from throwing rubbish everywhere but we have no option because there are no rubbish bins”, said a nearby food vendor who requested anonymity. She added that even if one happens to buy a rubbish bin the city council takes ages to collect the garbage.
A snap survey conducted by this reporter indicates that it is true there are no adequate rubbish bins on the streets of Dar es Salaam. One can walk from corner to corner without coming across a rubbish bin. This is the main reason people throw garbage everywhere in the streets.
Summer season is the hottest and there is no doubt water sales are increasing day by day. The weather causes people to buy water in a short space of time for them not to suffer from dehydration. Also, this is the season where we find many fruits so their prices decline and many people are found buying them a lot, hence the rate at which people are going to be throwing of garbage is bound to increase.
The problem of garbage carpeting the streets and inconveniencing residents and passersby in Dar es Salaam has been with us for a longtime now. In fact, a permanent solution to the problem seems to be eluding the powers be.
In recent years, many attempts have been made to curb the problem but all efforts have been in vain. The city council having realized that petty traders contribute significantly to pollution in the city, employed city militia to arrest those found selling their wares at un designated areas. This however, seems to be failing since vendors and the militia play hide and seek game resulting in traders maintaining a heavy presence on our streets.
At this darkest hour of the evening, light seems to be shining in Dar es Salaam since the police and the city council have teamed up to curb this problem.
They jointly formed an auxiliary police force that will be operating in the Dar es Salaam region. The auxiliary police, headed by former police commanders, will be there to enforce city by-laws including fining those that are found throwing garbage onto the streets.
Everyone found on the wrong side of the law will be fined $50 000/- . Speaking during a ceremony to inaugurate the force and allocate uniforms for the different municipalities in the region, this week, Dar es Salaam Regional commissioner, William Lukuvi warned city residents that they should comply with city by-laws or leave, adding that those who fail to comply will face the wrath of the law.
At the ceremony, Temeke municipality auxiliary police were given grey coluor, Ilala municipality auxiliary police will wear green while Kinondoni got maroon and the Dar es Salaam city council police will put on blue.
The RC said that the exercise will nab those who litter the city haphazardly throwing food leftovers, plastic bottles and papers on the streets.
Though this is a step towards the right direction, more seems to be needed in order to put an end to the problem of litter. Fining people for throwing litter onto the streets alone will not help as there are no bins for them to use. This therefore means that there is need for concerted efforts by both the public and private sectors to fight this social anomaly.
This is so because as long as there are no rubbish bins in the streets, and garbage remains uncollected for months then Dar es Salaam will continue being an eyesore.
The place is filthy as heaps of garbage keep on piling especially from vegetable vendors strategically positioned along the street and those from a nearby market. Not only is the place an eyesore, but also a pungent smell comes out of the dump causing everyone who passes through that place to spit.
Surprisingly, just a few meters away from there is a woman selling food stuffs, opposite is a restaurant and a swam of flies probably from the garbage dump are not only unwanted visitors but are an inconvenience to those enjoying their delicious meals.
The dinners are not only forced to ward off the flies but find themselves removing those that would have been fried together with their meals. This is not a fictitious story from a novel but describes the situation on the ground along one of the streets in Karakoo.
At the place you can find all kinds of garbage you may think of, banana, oranges and other fruit peals, rotten vegetables, papers, empty water bottles and so on. What flabbergast me most is that the people contributing to the ever piling rubbish are aware of the consequences. Diseases like cholera, dysentery, stomach upsets just to mention three are not exceptions when it comes to dirty environment.
“We know of the problems we might face from throwing rubbish everywhere but we have no option because there are no rubbish bins”, said a nearby food vendor who requested anonymity. She added that even if one happens to buy a rubbish bin the city council takes ages to collect the garbage.
A snap survey conducted by this reporter indicates that it is true there are no adequate rubbish bins on the streets of Dar es Salaam. One can walk from corner to corner without coming across a rubbish bin. This is the main reason people throw garbage everywhere in the streets.
Summer season is the hottest and there is no doubt water sales are increasing day by day. The weather causes people to buy water in a short space of time for them not to suffer from dehydration. Also, this is the season where we find many fruits so their prices decline and many people are found buying them a lot, hence the rate at which people are going to be throwing of garbage is bound to increase.
The problem of garbage carpeting the streets and inconveniencing residents and passersby in Dar es Salaam has been with us for a longtime now. In fact, a permanent solution to the problem seems to be eluding the powers be.
In recent years, many attempts have been made to curb the problem but all efforts have been in vain. The city council having realized that petty traders contribute significantly to pollution in the city, employed city militia to arrest those found selling their wares at un designated areas. This however, seems to be failing since vendors and the militia play hide and seek game resulting in traders maintaining a heavy presence on our streets.
At this darkest hour of the evening, light seems to be shining in Dar es Salaam since the police and the city council have teamed up to curb this problem.
They jointly formed an auxiliary police force that will be operating in the Dar es Salaam region. The auxiliary police, headed by former police commanders, will be there to enforce city by-laws including fining those that are found throwing garbage onto the streets.
Everyone found on the wrong side of the law will be fined $50 000/- . Speaking during a ceremony to inaugurate the force and allocate uniforms for the different municipalities in the region, this week, Dar es Salaam Regional commissioner, William Lukuvi warned city residents that they should comply with city by-laws or leave, adding that those who fail to comply will face the wrath of the law.
At the ceremony, Temeke municipality auxiliary police were given grey coluor, Ilala municipality auxiliary police will wear green while Kinondoni got maroon and the Dar es Salaam city council police will put on blue.
The RC said that the exercise will nab those who litter the city haphazardly throwing food leftovers, plastic bottles and papers on the streets.
Though this is a step towards the right direction, more seems to be needed in order to put an end to the problem of litter. Fining people for throwing litter onto the streets alone will not help as there are no bins for them to use. This therefore means that there is need for concerted efforts by both the public and private sectors to fight this social anomaly.
This is so because as long as there are no rubbish bins in the streets, and garbage remains uncollected for months then Dar es Salaam will continue being an eyesore.
Musoma massacre: A case of being bewitched by the dead
SIMBARASHE MSASANURI
(bongoblast)
THE cloud of death continues to hang upon Tanzania as a series of misfortunes are befalling wananchi. What is more disturbing, however, is that most of them are fatal while on the other hand the dawn of this year has never been rosy for this country as many bizarre incidents continue to claim lives of innocent people.
When disasters like these fall, many people are quick to point fingers and it is a general belief that nothing happens without a cause. Christians will tell you that satanists are wreaking havoc in this country and are on a mission to terrorize people so that they may backslide and turn their attention from God.
This will definitely work as most people usually blame God for the misfortunes and it is common among people to say that it was God’s will. Many people are often heard saying: “Hii ni kazi ya Mungu hivyo hatuna lakufanya”. Whether this is true or not dear reader, I leave it up to you but this to me seems a statement of surrendering or of giving up after being defeated probably by nature.
On the other hand, African traditionalists will be quick to point at witchcraft and taboos for all misfortunes that befall the society. This reminds me of a saying we used to lash out at a colleague who would have misbehaved.
If one of us did something we thought was absurd we quickly condemned him or her by saying that “umelogwa, na aliyekuloga amekufa,” which is literally translated as “you were bewitched by the dead”. This statement was pregnant with meaning as it meant that the person was beyond redemption and his behaviour was not only intolerable but the person who had bewitched him to an extent of acting that way had died.
This meant that if the witch was dead, then no one could cure this guy from his predicament because if the witch had not died maybe he/she would feel sorry for the poor guy and cure him.
In the same footing, I believe we definitely have been bewitched by the dead. If the witch was still alive then he/she could feel pity for us and save us from this predicament.
The midnight massacre in Mara where 17 people were murdered in cold blood is a sure sign that something is really wrong in this country. I am not talking about the recent road accidents, fire outbreaks that destroyed property worth millions of shillings and other minor misfortunes befalling people. They are too many to mention.
This horrific incident comes barely a month after gangsters gunned down 16 people and wounded 18 others in Ukerewe and Bunda districts.
What seemed like a normal night for three families in Mara Region turned out to be a nightmare after unidentified assailants invaded their houses, hacking to death 17, in an escapade believed to be a revenge mission.
The attacks which seem to have been aimed at wiping out the whole clan from the face of the earth were well organised as the assailants sneaked into the homesteads unnoticed killing everyone they came across.
Mara Regional Police Commander, Robert Boaz, confirmed the reports adding that those killed were from the same clan. Six were from the family of Morris Mgaya, three from Mgaya Nyarukende and eight from Kawawa Kinguye family.
According to him, the families are related in that the two (Mgaya and Kinguye) were brothers while Nyarukende was a cousin of theirs.
It was a somber mood in Mara as shocked villagers gathered to see the after effects of one of the most brutal murders in the history of the area. Business came to a halt, last Wednesday, in the area again as thousands turned to bury the butchered people.
“Some of those killed were beheaded or slashed with sharp objects. Showing that the killers were brutal indeed,” Boaz said, adding that the motive for the killings was not yet known. The Mara Regional Commissioner, Enos Mfuru, could not hide his grief and expressed shock at the sight of the hideous and inhumane acts.
Though the motive for the killings is yet to be established, Boaz hinted that the massacre might be linked to vendettas and revenge. Life will definitely not be the same for three orphans, who escaped with their lives as they are the only remaining members of the clan. No amount of help, financially or materially, will restore their happiness as they will have to live with the trauma for the rest of their lives.
Mara Region has for a longtime been a time bomb as clan clashes have become a common sight in this area. Though the clashes are usually linked to cattle rustling, incidences such as these are bound to happen.
The clan clashes and cattle rustling escapades usually create enmity among these clans prompting them to embark on revenge missions. It is unfortunate that the powers that be, who were supposed to find a lasting solution to the problem dilly-dallied and the clashes became perennial to an extent that they were fast becoming a way of life.
It is sad that those concerned had to wait for something like this to happen for them to act. In other words, they realized the need to end the clashes when it was already too late as the damage had already been done.
This greatly tarnishes the image of this country but once it's tarnished, we are the very first people to condemn those highlighting our problem. Some people who attended the burial ceremony in Buhare were quick to dismiss and condemn BBC World Service's news broadcast suggesting that killings like these were normal in Tanzania.
Whether the statement is true or not, I leave it for you dear reader to judge, but what I am really sure about is that with proper intervention methods such incidences are avoidable. And, the incidents lead to such reports being broadcast by international media organisation, soiling our image globally.
A permanent solution is therefore, needed especially by the power that be to avoid repetition of such savage acts. But, judging by the current events in this country, then whoever bewitched us is dead because most of the time tunasubiria kung'atwa na nyoka ili tujue anaua.
bongoblast@thisday.co.tz
(bongoblast)
THE cloud of death continues to hang upon Tanzania as a series of misfortunes are befalling wananchi. What is more disturbing, however, is that most of them are fatal while on the other hand the dawn of this year has never been rosy for this country as many bizarre incidents continue to claim lives of innocent people.
When disasters like these fall, many people are quick to point fingers and it is a general belief that nothing happens without a cause. Christians will tell you that satanists are wreaking havoc in this country and are on a mission to terrorize people so that they may backslide and turn their attention from God.
This will definitely work as most people usually blame God for the misfortunes and it is common among people to say that it was God’s will. Many people are often heard saying: “Hii ni kazi ya Mungu hivyo hatuna lakufanya”. Whether this is true or not dear reader, I leave it up to you but this to me seems a statement of surrendering or of giving up after being defeated probably by nature.
On the other hand, African traditionalists will be quick to point at witchcraft and taboos for all misfortunes that befall the society. This reminds me of a saying we used to lash out at a colleague who would have misbehaved.
If one of us did something we thought was absurd we quickly condemned him or her by saying that “umelogwa, na aliyekuloga amekufa,” which is literally translated as “you were bewitched by the dead”. This statement was pregnant with meaning as it meant that the person was beyond redemption and his behaviour was not only intolerable but the person who had bewitched him to an extent of acting that way had died.
This meant that if the witch was dead, then no one could cure this guy from his predicament because if the witch had not died maybe he/she would feel sorry for the poor guy and cure him.
In the same footing, I believe we definitely have been bewitched by the dead. If the witch was still alive then he/she could feel pity for us and save us from this predicament.
The midnight massacre in Mara where 17 people were murdered in cold blood is a sure sign that something is really wrong in this country. I am not talking about the recent road accidents, fire outbreaks that destroyed property worth millions of shillings and other minor misfortunes befalling people. They are too many to mention.
This horrific incident comes barely a month after gangsters gunned down 16 people and wounded 18 others in Ukerewe and Bunda districts.
What seemed like a normal night for three families in Mara Region turned out to be a nightmare after unidentified assailants invaded their houses, hacking to death 17, in an escapade believed to be a revenge mission.
The attacks which seem to have been aimed at wiping out the whole clan from the face of the earth were well organised as the assailants sneaked into the homesteads unnoticed killing everyone they came across.
Mara Regional Police Commander, Robert Boaz, confirmed the reports adding that those killed were from the same clan. Six were from the family of Morris Mgaya, three from Mgaya Nyarukende and eight from Kawawa Kinguye family.
According to him, the families are related in that the two (Mgaya and Kinguye) were brothers while Nyarukende was a cousin of theirs.
It was a somber mood in Mara as shocked villagers gathered to see the after effects of one of the most brutal murders in the history of the area. Business came to a halt, last Wednesday, in the area again as thousands turned to bury the butchered people.
“Some of those killed were beheaded or slashed with sharp objects. Showing that the killers were brutal indeed,” Boaz said, adding that the motive for the killings was not yet known. The Mara Regional Commissioner, Enos Mfuru, could not hide his grief and expressed shock at the sight of the hideous and inhumane acts.
Though the motive for the killings is yet to be established, Boaz hinted that the massacre might be linked to vendettas and revenge. Life will definitely not be the same for three orphans, who escaped with their lives as they are the only remaining members of the clan. No amount of help, financially or materially, will restore their happiness as they will have to live with the trauma for the rest of their lives.
Mara Region has for a longtime been a time bomb as clan clashes have become a common sight in this area. Though the clashes are usually linked to cattle rustling, incidences such as these are bound to happen.
The clan clashes and cattle rustling escapades usually create enmity among these clans prompting them to embark on revenge missions. It is unfortunate that the powers that be, who were supposed to find a lasting solution to the problem dilly-dallied and the clashes became perennial to an extent that they were fast becoming a way of life.
It is sad that those concerned had to wait for something like this to happen for them to act. In other words, they realized the need to end the clashes when it was already too late as the damage had already been done.
This greatly tarnishes the image of this country but once it's tarnished, we are the very first people to condemn those highlighting our problem. Some people who attended the burial ceremony in Buhare were quick to dismiss and condemn BBC World Service's news broadcast suggesting that killings like these were normal in Tanzania.
Whether the statement is true or not, I leave it for you dear reader to judge, but what I am really sure about is that with proper intervention methods such incidences are avoidable. And, the incidents lead to such reports being broadcast by international media organisation, soiling our image globally.
A permanent solution is therefore, needed especially by the power that be to avoid repetition of such savage acts. But, judging by the current events in this country, then whoever bewitched us is dead because most of the time tunasubiria kung'atwa na nyoka ili tujue anaua.
bongoblast@thisday.co.tz
Monday, February 22, 2010
Kicking out Malaria: A difficult war Tanzanians must fight and win
SIMBARASHE MSASANURI
Dar es Salaam
AS the war against malaria continues and with yet another battle, the Malaria Haikubaliki campaign having been launched last week, Tanzania seems to be running out of ammunition and willpower to win the war despite President Jakaya Kikwete’s war cry that the war against malaria was one which Tanzanians must fight and win.
Though considerable inroads have been made and some battles being won in this war, a lot still needs to be done to kick out malaria out of this country. The latest initiative comes after yet another campaign launched in 2008 during US President George Bush's visit to Tanzania called the “Roll Back Campaign”. The World Health Organization (WHO) initiated campaign was aimed at halving malaria deaths by 2010, and halving again by 2015.
If successful (Malaria Haikubaliki campaign), Tanzania, arguably one of the leaders in the global fight against malaria, is this year set to become one of the first African countries to achieve universal access to mosquito nets and affordable treatment for all of its citizens as it struggles to fight malaria, a disease ravaging societies worldwide.
In support of this landmark effort, President Jakaya Kikwete, who is also the head of the African Leaders Malaria Alliance (ALMA) which brings African leaders together on the world stage to raise global awareness and support,is leading the “Malaria Haikubaliki: Tushirikiane Kuitokomeza” (Malaria is unacceptable: Working together, we can eliminate malaria) awareness campaign.
While launching the campaign in Dar es Salaam last week, President Kikwete declared malaria, a disease that kills 291 people in Tanzania every day, a national disaster.
“In other words 10 people die of malaria every hour. This is a national tragedy,” Kikwete said, adding that malaria is preventable and treatable but continues to kill such a large number of people especially children.
The president mentioned three ways of fighting and winning the war against malaria. They include use of insecticide treated mosquito nets and ensuring availability of nets; to stop the replication of mosquitoes that carry malaria and lastly using effective drugs to treat those with malaria.
On nets, the president further said that while children under five were currently getting them for free, plans were in final stages to enable every household to have at least two treated nets.
“We must ensure we annihilate these mosquitoes and their breeding sites. It is possible to ensure that we become the last generation to die of malaria.
Other countries in the world have managed, it is possible for us to make it.
“This is a campaign to save our lives. It is a campaign to prevent deaths which can be avoided,”said Kikwete.
The national campaign is anchored at the community and household level by community mobilisation activities implemented by PSI-Tanzania and District Advocacy activities led by Voices 11.
Malaria is one of the main health problems in the world with 300-500 millions cases yearly and about one million deaths. It remains sad that despite having methods to control the disease, the malaria problem in Africa has increased over the years.
The vast majority of malaria deaths occur in Africa, south of the Sahara, where malaria also presents major obstacles to social and economic development. Malaria has been estimated to cost Africa more than US$ 12 billion every year in lost GDP, even though it could be controlled for a fraction of that sum.
There are at least 300 million acute cases of malaria each year globally, resulting in more than a million deaths. Around 90 percent of these deaths occur in Africa, mostly in young children. Malaria is Africa's leading cause of under-five mortality (20 percent) and constitutes 10 percent of the continent's overall disease burden. It accounts for 40 percent of public health expenditure, 30-50 percent of inpatient admissions, and up to 50 percent of outpatient visits in areas with high malaria transmission.
There are several reasons Africa bears an overwhelming proportion of the malaria burden. Most malaria infections in Africa south of the Sahara are caused by Plasmodium falciparum, the most severe and life-threatening form of the disease.
This region is also home to the most efficient, and therefore deadly, species of the mosquitoes which transmit the disease. Moreover, many countries in Africa lack the infrastructures and resources necessary to mount sustainable campaigns against malaria and as a result few benefited from historical efforts to eradicate malaria.
In Africa today, malaria is understood to be both a disease of poverty and a cause of poverty. Annual economic growth in countries with high malaria transmission has historically been lower than in countries without malaria. Economists believe that malaria is responsible for a growth penalty of up to 1.3 percent per year in some African countries. When compounded over the years, this penalty leads to substantial differences in GDP between countries with and without malaria and severely restrains the economic growth of the entire region.
Malaria also has a direct impact on Africa's human resources. Not only does malaria result in lost life and lost productivity due to illness and premature death, but malaria also hampers children's schooling and social development through both absenteeism and permanent neurological and other damage associated with severe episodes of the disease.
One of the greatest challenges facing Africa in the fight against malaria is drug resistance. Resistance to chloroquine, the cheapest and most widely used antimalarial, is common throughout Africa (particularly in southern and eastern parts of the continent). Resistance to sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP), often seen as the first and least expensive alternative to chloroquine, is also increasing in east and southern Africa. As a result of these trends, many countries are having to change their treatment policies and use drugs which are more expensive, including combinations of drugs, which it is hoped will slow the development of resistance.
This casts a shadow of doubt on the recently launched campaign which needs a holistic approach for it to succeed. The provision of treated nets to wananchi though expensive can easily be achieved and the campaign will definitely go a long way in availing them but more still needs to be done.
It is vital that all stakeholders involved in the campaign adopt a no nonsense approach to the disease with the aim of eradicating it. Kicking malaria out of this country is possible but there is need for massive educational campaigns so that the general public supports the initiatives of the organisers.
There is also need to get rid of mosquito breeding places such as uncollected garbage littering out streets and residential areas, attending to blocked sewer pipes or drainage ways and above all encourage wananchi to observe highest levels of hygiene especially in areas they live to prevent mosquitoes from breeding.
There is also need for massive spraying of homes and all areas suspected to be harboring mosquitoes. There is also need to deal with the problem of counterfeit anti malaria drugs and dispelling old fashioned traditional beliefs by some men in other parts of the country that use of mosquito nets causes impotency.
If each and every person plays his or her part, then it is possible to kick malaria out of the country. But, as long as a holistic approach is not taken in fighting the disease, then malaria will continue wreaking havoc in this country and winning the war against malaria will remain just but a pipeline dream.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Influx of counterfeit sanitary pads detrimental to women's health
SIMBARASHE MSASANURI
Dar es Salaam
ACCESS to sanitary pads is a nightmare for many women, not only in Tanzania but in Africa and other third world countries, who are forced to improvise by using rags or other materials that sometimes end up being harmful to their bodies.
Though most governments of these countries have come up with programmes to make sure that their women easily access these important components, it remains an uphill task as many factors such as poverty, cultural beliefs, lack of knowledge and so on have hindered some of these women, especially in remote parts of these countries to access the pads.
It is believed that adolescent girls in developing countries miss up to 50 days of school each year because their families can't afford to buy them sanitary pads. According to the UNICEF, more than one in ten school girls in Sub-Saharan Africa skip school for more than a day when menstruating due to lack of awareness of affordable pads in the market.
Fortunately, a start-up called Sustainable Health Enterprises (or the cleverly abbreviated SHE) is working to reverse this trend by helping Rwandan women start their own low-cost sanitary pad businesses. SHE is helping girls stay in school and increasing their potential earning power in the process. One additional year of primary school for a girl means a 10-20 per cent increase in her future wages, according to a Council on Foreign Relations study.
In Kenya, the government introduced zero-rated import duty for sanitary towels in 2004 to increase the use of the products, bringing down prices of most brands by almost 50 per cent.
But, many women are said to be still using clothing, tissue and cotton wool to contain menstrual flow, exposing them to health hazards; yet tax exemption pushed prices down leading to entry of more brands targeting specific market segments.
In Tanzania, despite all the efforts to make the pads affordable and available, a considerable number of women still don’t afford sanitary pads. Those who have access to the pads are exposed to the danger of buying counterfeit products. With the global economic crunch taking its toll in the country, many women have no choice but to go for cheaper products. But, as the old saying that cheap products are expensive, their lives are exposed to diseases as they end up buying counterfeit products.
The wave of fake goods currently sweeping across this country has seen many counterfeit sanitary pads invading the market, exposing defenseless women to risks of health complications after using them.
Police in Arusha last week, unearthed a multi-million shilling scam of counterfeit sanitary pads manufactured in China. The consignment was destined for Arusha and Manyara regions.
The security forces impounded 10,000 cartons of fake sanitary pads worth 210m/- that were stored in an ultra-modern house in Baraa Ward, Arusha Municipality.
Medical experts say that fake pads have serious side effects on women who use them.
Dr Baraka Mkongo was quoted as saying: “Counterfeit sanitary pads can cause fungus, urinary tract infection (UTI), Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID) and Sexually Transmitted infections (STIs).”
The confiscation of the consignment shook many business people in Arusha who went on to remove all fake pads from their shelves.
Most supermarkets and retail shops in Arusha were reportedly removing sanitary pads from their shelves, fearing ongoing police crackdown targeting bogus health products flooding the market.
According to a 2006 World Health Organisation (WHO) report, it is estimated that in developing countries especially in Africa and some parts of Asia and Latin America, up to 30 per cent of medicines on the market are counterfeit.
However, the Confederation of Tanzania Industries (CTI) lambasted the Tanzania's thriving counterfeit market.
The group estimates that between 15 and 20 per cent of all merchandise circulating in the country are counterfeit, earning the country a reputation of being a dumping ground for imitation goods including fake drugs.
As if the confiscation of sanitary pads in Arusha was not enough to cause damage, police in Dar es Salaam also impounded four trucks loaded with fake sanitary pads worth 60m/-.
The sanitary towels are said to have been imported illegally and were confiscated when police impounded the four trucks with 2,750 boxes of the illegally imported product.
The Dar es Salaam Special Police Zone Commander, Suleiman Kova, said the trucks loaded with the merchandise were impounded on Monday last week after a tip off by a good Samaritan.
“We were notified that there were vehicles loaded with illegal sanitary pads. Our informers told us where the trucks were parked and we moved in,” said Kova, adding that the vehicles were found in Jangwani suburb and that the owner, a businessman who resides along Livingstone Street in Kariakoo had been nabbed.
It is upon interrogation that, according to Kova, that the businessman confirmed having purchased the consignment from Arusha.
The police also made a follow up on another businessman and discovered more boxes of sanitary pads stored in a godown, within the city.
Kova, however, took the opportunity to warn women to be careful when purchasing sanitary pads as it is believed that a lot of fake pads might have already been distributed to various shops within the country.
It is unfortunate that the problem of counterfeits has reached a point of no return and is fast putting the lives of consumers at risk. In fact, the market in this country is fast becoming a minefield where one needs to be more careful, failure to which one endangers his or her life after buying a counterfeit good that ends up turning lethal.
The discovery of fake sanitary pads is a wake up call to all women that they should open their eyes when buying these products and make sure that they don't buy fakes. Gone are the days of buying goods and commodities blindly.
It is also the duty of the powers that be to sensitise wananchi on the need to be on high alert when it comes to counterfeits. It is imperative that the government educate wananchi on how to distinguish genuine from counterfeit products to save lives.
The government, therefore, needs to protect women from these unscrupulous businesspeople who value making profits more than the health of those who use their products. It is time that measures are taken to avoid smuggling of these commodities to save a lot of money that will be wasted in buying medicines to treat those who would have been affected by counterfeit goods.
Ends.
Dar es Salaam
ACCESS to sanitary pads is a nightmare for many women, not only in Tanzania but in Africa and other third world countries, who are forced to improvise by using rags or other materials that sometimes end up being harmful to their bodies.
Though most governments of these countries have come up with programmes to make sure that their women easily access these important components, it remains an uphill task as many factors such as poverty, cultural beliefs, lack of knowledge and so on have hindered some of these women, especially in remote parts of these countries to access the pads.
It is believed that adolescent girls in developing countries miss up to 50 days of school each year because their families can't afford to buy them sanitary pads. According to the UNICEF, more than one in ten school girls in Sub-Saharan Africa skip school for more than a day when menstruating due to lack of awareness of affordable pads in the market.
Fortunately, a start-up called Sustainable Health Enterprises (or the cleverly abbreviated SHE) is working to reverse this trend by helping Rwandan women start their own low-cost sanitary pad businesses. SHE is helping girls stay in school and increasing their potential earning power in the process. One additional year of primary school for a girl means a 10-20 per cent increase in her future wages, according to a Council on Foreign Relations study.
In Kenya, the government introduced zero-rated import duty for sanitary towels in 2004 to increase the use of the products, bringing down prices of most brands by almost 50 per cent.
But, many women are said to be still using clothing, tissue and cotton wool to contain menstrual flow, exposing them to health hazards; yet tax exemption pushed prices down leading to entry of more brands targeting specific market segments.
In Tanzania, despite all the efforts to make the pads affordable and available, a considerable number of women still don’t afford sanitary pads. Those who have access to the pads are exposed to the danger of buying counterfeit products. With the global economic crunch taking its toll in the country, many women have no choice but to go for cheaper products. But, as the old saying that cheap products are expensive, their lives are exposed to diseases as they end up buying counterfeit products.
The wave of fake goods currently sweeping across this country has seen many counterfeit sanitary pads invading the market, exposing defenseless women to risks of health complications after using them.
Police in Arusha last week, unearthed a multi-million shilling scam of counterfeit sanitary pads manufactured in China. The consignment was destined for Arusha and Manyara regions.
The security forces impounded 10,000 cartons of fake sanitary pads worth 210m/- that were stored in an ultra-modern house in Baraa Ward, Arusha Municipality.
Medical experts say that fake pads have serious side effects on women who use them.
Dr Baraka Mkongo was quoted as saying: “Counterfeit sanitary pads can cause fungus, urinary tract infection (UTI), Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID) and Sexually Transmitted infections (STIs).”
The confiscation of the consignment shook many business people in Arusha who went on to remove all fake pads from their shelves.
Most supermarkets and retail shops in Arusha were reportedly removing sanitary pads from their shelves, fearing ongoing police crackdown targeting bogus health products flooding the market.
According to a 2006 World Health Organisation (WHO) report, it is estimated that in developing countries especially in Africa and some parts of Asia and Latin America, up to 30 per cent of medicines on the market are counterfeit.
However, the Confederation of Tanzania Industries (CTI) lambasted the Tanzania's thriving counterfeit market.
The group estimates that between 15 and 20 per cent of all merchandise circulating in the country are counterfeit, earning the country a reputation of being a dumping ground for imitation goods including fake drugs.
As if the confiscation of sanitary pads in Arusha was not enough to cause damage, police in Dar es Salaam also impounded four trucks loaded with fake sanitary pads worth 60m/-.
The sanitary towels are said to have been imported illegally and were confiscated when police impounded the four trucks with 2,750 boxes of the illegally imported product.
The Dar es Salaam Special Police Zone Commander, Suleiman Kova, said the trucks loaded with the merchandise were impounded on Monday last week after a tip off by a good Samaritan.
“We were notified that there were vehicles loaded with illegal sanitary pads. Our informers told us where the trucks were parked and we moved in,” said Kova, adding that the vehicles were found in Jangwani suburb and that the owner, a businessman who resides along Livingstone Street in Kariakoo had been nabbed.
It is upon interrogation that, according to Kova, that the businessman confirmed having purchased the consignment from Arusha.
The police also made a follow up on another businessman and discovered more boxes of sanitary pads stored in a godown, within the city.
Kova, however, took the opportunity to warn women to be careful when purchasing sanitary pads as it is believed that a lot of fake pads might have already been distributed to various shops within the country.
It is unfortunate that the problem of counterfeits has reached a point of no return and is fast putting the lives of consumers at risk. In fact, the market in this country is fast becoming a minefield where one needs to be more careful, failure to which one endangers his or her life after buying a counterfeit good that ends up turning lethal.
The discovery of fake sanitary pads is a wake up call to all women that they should open their eyes when buying these products and make sure that they don't buy fakes. Gone are the days of buying goods and commodities blindly.
It is also the duty of the powers that be to sensitise wananchi on the need to be on high alert when it comes to counterfeits. It is imperative that the government educate wananchi on how to distinguish genuine from counterfeit products to save lives.
The government, therefore, needs to protect women from these unscrupulous businesspeople who value making profits more than the health of those who use their products. It is time that measures are taken to avoid smuggling of these commodities to save a lot of money that will be wasted in buying medicines to treat those who would have been affected by counterfeit goods.
Ends.
Policy interventions vital to curb environmental degradation
SIMBARASHE MSASANURI
Dar es Salaam
THE place is filthy, everything in the vicinity has been painted black by dust from a nearby ramshackle. An old man dressed in tattered, soot coloured clothes is seated besides a heap of bags loaded with charcoal. Many people will be forgiven to think that the man is a vagabond sitting outside a shack.
A lady suddenly appears carrying a plastic container and goes straight to the old man who feebly puts on a smile and greets the lady with expectation. The lady hands over money to the man who without asking puts some charcoal into the plastic container and she thanks the old man before going home.
Scores of other customers could be seen trickling to the place to buy charcoal from this man who operates this tiny business without protective gear, exposing himself to dust.
This scenario resembles various points in Dar es Salaam where charcoal, considered the main source of energy for Tanzania’s urban population, is sold as it provides a cheaper source of energy especially for the ordinary person.
It remains true that charcoal provides not only a cheaper alternative in the face of ever increasing costs of other sources of energy such as electricity, but sees many people eking a living out of the production, distribution and selling of the product. But, if sanity is not restored in the sector, it remains a fast-ticking environmental time bomb as it leads to environmental degradation and current changes in weather patterns.
According to the World Bank statistics, it is estimated that several tens of thousands of rural and urban entrepreneurs in Tanzania earn vital income from charcoal production and trade. One million tonnes of charcoal are produced and consumed in the country while the annual supply of wood needed for this is estimated at 30million cubic metres.
“At present, the contribution of Tanzania’s charcoal sector to employment, rural livelihoods, and the wider economy is estimated to be in the region of $650m per year, providing income to hundred thousands people in both urban and rural areas.”
These, according to the WB are members of poorer households, who work as small-scale producers or traders, and who often have limited alternatives for earning a living.
Just like other charcoal traders in most suburbs in Dar es Salaam, the old man, gets the commodity from wholesalers who use haulage trucks to transport bags of charcoal.
Though the prices of charcoal have been increasing over the past years, dealers in Dar es Salaam are getting a bag of charcoal at 30,000/-. They buy as many bags as they can as long as they have the money, but have to make sure that the product remains available because it is in demand.
“I sell charcoal at 500/- per 5litre tin and I can sell as many bags, depending on the day but on average I can sell four bags per day, on a good day I can even sell four and half bags or more,” said the old man, John Jabu, who operates in Tandika, Temeke District.
The business, according to him, helps him fight the effects the global economic crisis and has been in it for many years now, as his source of income to take care of his family. He has managed to provide for his family to make sure that they don't sleep on empty stomachs besides paying school fees, accommodation, clothing the family and many other family needs.
Besides being a brisk business, charcoal has been a source of cheaper energy for most households in Dar es Salaam. Statistics have it that from 2001 to 2007, the proportion of households in Dar es Salaam using charcoal as their primary energy source has increased from 47 per cent to 71 per cent.
Though charcoal has been considered as a major source of power for most middle and lower class families who can’t afford high costs of electricity and other sources of energy, it has been discovered that even other classes do use it. Electricity and gas are undoubtedly principal energy sources among wealthier households, but they still use considerable quantities of charcoal.
Major public and private institutions such as schools, bars, restaurants and hospitals also use significant quantities of charcoal.
This has seen Dar es Salaam consuming 50 per cent of charcoal produced countrywide and the trend is expected to rise. The WB estimates that the amount of charcoal consumed is expected to further rise in coming years. Signs according to them, indicate consumption levels will be increasing in both absolute and relative terms in the near and mid term future due to three main factors : Rapid population growth; continued urbanization and relative price increases of fossil fuel-based alternative energy sources.
Although charcoal comes as a relief to many Tanzanians, it leaves with it trails of destruction that if uncontrolled can lead to desertification.
According the WB, the daily wood requirement to produce charcoal, at the moment, is equivalent to that contained in 342.5 hectares of forest which amounts to more than 125 000 hectares of destroyed forests.
The above-mentioned figures call for caution as wood harvesting for charcoal is most often opportunistic, resulting in gradual degradation of forest resources over time, rather than clear-cutting over a large area leading to real deforestation.
Although some wood for charcoal, according to WB, is harvested from forest reserves under licence from government, the bulk is harvested in unreserved forest areas on village land, or on farm land being cleared for agriculture.
In such situations, little attention is given to considerations of sustainable harvesting or longer-term forest management objectives. Continual, unregulated tree removal results in deforestation and forest degradation something that negatively impacts on the protection of water catchments and watersheds, affecting energy and water supplies alike.
It is against this background that the World Bank recently launched a Policy Note on charcoal production and utilization in Tanzania, that discusses feasible options for addressing charcoal challenges in the country.
It remains true that there is need for politicians in the country to regulate the industry as the use of charcoal seems to be escalating by day in this country and if it goes unchecked will cause irreparable damage to the environment.
Therefore, policy interventions need to be designed over the entire value chain of charcoal utilization, considering aspects of production (tree growing, carbonization), transport, and consumption in order to salvage this country from the jaws of self destruction.
Dar es Salaam
THE place is filthy, everything in the vicinity has been painted black by dust from a nearby ramshackle. An old man dressed in tattered, soot coloured clothes is seated besides a heap of bags loaded with charcoal. Many people will be forgiven to think that the man is a vagabond sitting outside a shack.
A lady suddenly appears carrying a plastic container and goes straight to the old man who feebly puts on a smile and greets the lady with expectation. The lady hands over money to the man who without asking puts some charcoal into the plastic container and she thanks the old man before going home.
Scores of other customers could be seen trickling to the place to buy charcoal from this man who operates this tiny business without protective gear, exposing himself to dust.
This scenario resembles various points in Dar es Salaam where charcoal, considered the main source of energy for Tanzania’s urban population, is sold as it provides a cheaper source of energy especially for the ordinary person.
It remains true that charcoal provides not only a cheaper alternative in the face of ever increasing costs of other sources of energy such as electricity, but sees many people eking a living out of the production, distribution and selling of the product. But, if sanity is not restored in the sector, it remains a fast-ticking environmental time bomb as it leads to environmental degradation and current changes in weather patterns.
According to the World Bank statistics, it is estimated that several tens of thousands of rural and urban entrepreneurs in Tanzania earn vital income from charcoal production and trade. One million tonnes of charcoal are produced and consumed in the country while the annual supply of wood needed for this is estimated at 30million cubic metres.
“At present, the contribution of Tanzania’s charcoal sector to employment, rural livelihoods, and the wider economy is estimated to be in the region of $650m per year, providing income to hundred thousands people in both urban and rural areas.”
These, according to the WB are members of poorer households, who work as small-scale producers or traders, and who often have limited alternatives for earning a living.
Just like other charcoal traders in most suburbs in Dar es Salaam, the old man, gets the commodity from wholesalers who use haulage trucks to transport bags of charcoal.
Though the prices of charcoal have been increasing over the past years, dealers in Dar es Salaam are getting a bag of charcoal at 30,000/-. They buy as many bags as they can as long as they have the money, but have to make sure that the product remains available because it is in demand.
“I sell charcoal at 500/- per 5litre tin and I can sell as many bags, depending on the day but on average I can sell four bags per day, on a good day I can even sell four and half bags or more,” said the old man, John Jabu, who operates in Tandika, Temeke District.
The business, according to him, helps him fight the effects the global economic crisis and has been in it for many years now, as his source of income to take care of his family. He has managed to provide for his family to make sure that they don't sleep on empty stomachs besides paying school fees, accommodation, clothing the family and many other family needs.
Besides being a brisk business, charcoal has been a source of cheaper energy for most households in Dar es Salaam. Statistics have it that from 2001 to 2007, the proportion of households in Dar es Salaam using charcoal as their primary energy source has increased from 47 per cent to 71 per cent.
Though charcoal has been considered as a major source of power for most middle and lower class families who can’t afford high costs of electricity and other sources of energy, it has been discovered that even other classes do use it. Electricity and gas are undoubtedly principal energy sources among wealthier households, but they still use considerable quantities of charcoal.
Major public and private institutions such as schools, bars, restaurants and hospitals also use significant quantities of charcoal.
This has seen Dar es Salaam consuming 50 per cent of charcoal produced countrywide and the trend is expected to rise. The WB estimates that the amount of charcoal consumed is expected to further rise in coming years. Signs according to them, indicate consumption levels will be increasing in both absolute and relative terms in the near and mid term future due to three main factors : Rapid population growth; continued urbanization and relative price increases of fossil fuel-based alternative energy sources.
Although charcoal comes as a relief to many Tanzanians, it leaves with it trails of destruction that if uncontrolled can lead to desertification.
According the WB, the daily wood requirement to produce charcoal, at the moment, is equivalent to that contained in 342.5 hectares of forest which amounts to more than 125 000 hectares of destroyed forests.
The above-mentioned figures call for caution as wood harvesting for charcoal is most often opportunistic, resulting in gradual degradation of forest resources over time, rather than clear-cutting over a large area leading to real deforestation.
Although some wood for charcoal, according to WB, is harvested from forest reserves under licence from government, the bulk is harvested in unreserved forest areas on village land, or on farm land being cleared for agriculture.
In such situations, little attention is given to considerations of sustainable harvesting or longer-term forest management objectives. Continual, unregulated tree removal results in deforestation and forest degradation something that negatively impacts on the protection of water catchments and watersheds, affecting energy and water supplies alike.
It is against this background that the World Bank recently launched a Policy Note on charcoal production and utilization in Tanzania, that discusses feasible options for addressing charcoal challenges in the country.
It remains true that there is need for politicians in the country to regulate the industry as the use of charcoal seems to be escalating by day in this country and if it goes unchecked will cause irreparable damage to the environment.
Therefore, policy interventions need to be designed over the entire value chain of charcoal utilization, considering aspects of production (tree growing, carbonization), transport, and consumption in order to salvage this country from the jaws of self destruction.
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