Tanzania - can environmental disaster be prevented?

Environmental Problems in Tanzania

Tanzania is located in central East Africa and is one of the most ecologically rich countries in Africa. Its largest and capital city is Dar es Salaam. Tanzania spans 945,000 kilometers in area and supports a diverse climate of arid and semi-arid. The physical topography includes dry land savannas, woodlands and mountainous land areas. Tanzania’s coastline borders the Indian Ocean on the east. It is filled with lakes, rivers and swamps which support huge numbers of aquatic life. Forty percent of Tanzania’s land area is covered by forests and woodlands which host various ecosystems. Most of the environmental pollution in the country is a result of human activity. It follows industrialization, urbanization, use of chemicals and oil spills.

Tanzania is suffering from a host of environmental problems that are urgent to the safety and health of its residents. The National Environmental Policy has identified six of the most pressing environmental issues:

• Loss of wildlife habitats
• Deforestation
• Land degradation
• Deterioration of aquatic systems
• Lack of quality water
• Environmental pollution

The best agricultural lands of Tanzania have been densely populated, resulting in land degradation and soil that is unfit for cultivation. Pastoral land has been overgrazed, while Tanzanians have practiced poor agricultural practices leading further to land degradation. Shifting cultivation, lack of proper crop rotation and a lack of technology have increased the problem. In Tanzania, fifty-five percent of the land could be used for agriculture, with fifty-one percent used for pastoral land. In actuality, only six percent of the agricultural land has been cultivated.

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Water pollution is the most widespread form of pollution in Tanzania. The water is unfit for human consumption due to the discharge of untreated waste polluting the water. This leads to diseases in humans and destroys aquatic life. In Tanzania less than five percent of the population is connected to a sewage system. The urban areas of Tanzania contribute greatly to the environmental pollution with improper treatment and disposal of solid and liquid wastes being the main contributor. Water and air become contaminated which is detrimental to the health of its residents.

The government of Tanzania has instituted policies to facilitate and carry out duties to protect the country’s environment in their area of jurisdiction. The United States is assisting the Tanzanian government by setting up Water Aid to focus on water, sanitation, and hygiene education. It will work with local partners on community managed projects. The direct aim of Water Aid is to help 80,000 people gain access to water and to provide sanitation to 40,000 each year by the year 2010. Water Aid has strengthened local governments and supported partner organizations and nongovernmental organizations to ensure 100,000 people have access to safe water by 2010.

In order to ensure that Tanzania’s environment continues to grow and thrive, the government will need to continue to facilitate its policies to protect against oil spills and other human infringements on the land. The future of Tanzania’s people is dependent on the future of its clean water. Purifying water reserves is a necessary step to safeguard the health of future generations.