Urban Poverty & Climate Change in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania:

and structural interferences along its course. Msimbazi valley, in Kinondoni, and settlements
in Kinondoni Municipality in general, are the fastest-growing settlements in the city despite
their location in flood-prone areas. The influx of people in the Msimbazi valley has been
accelerated by factors such as easy access to unregulated farming and building plots,
proximity to the city centre, low levels of awareness, poor enforcement of regulations
concerning land use, and availability of low-cost housing. These valley areas continue to be
populated, exposing residents to life-threatening floods and flood-related health problems.
(iii) Jangwani
This is an informal settlement area in the vicinity of Morogoro Road, on the way to the city
centre from Magomeni. It is a low-lying area that suffers flooding during the rainy season
nearly every year. The Msimbazi River passes through this valley, and is joined by the
Ubungo River which flows across Tandale Mkunduge and Mtogole. (While crossing Tandale,
the Ubungo River is christened Ng’omber River, literary meaning ‘Cow Dung Carrying
River 7 .) The two rivers turn the Jangwani Suna area (study site) into a peninsula, increasing
the risk to dwellers that are at the mouth of the river. Due to its susceptibility to
environmental threats, the area was declared ‘not residential’ by the former Minister for
Lands and Human Settlement Development. However, it is at present highly inhabited, with a
mixture of mud, wattle and modern housing constructed adjacent to the filthy sewage-based
wetland area of Msimbazi River.
Disposing of sewage off-plot through a piping system connecting to open drains or the river
valley is a common practice in Dar es Salaam city and in Jangwani-Suna area in particular.
Solid waste is used in the area to reduce the impact of floods; it is collected by CBOs and the
Mtaa pays lorry owners to haul it to the valley, where unemployed youths then pile it up. In
this attempt to keep floodwaters at bay, however, they create muddy conditions and amass
decomposing matter that provides breeding grounds for culex mosquitoes (vectors of
filariasis).
(iv) City Centre
This is the most flooded area in the city. The problem is exacerbated by poor infiltration and
outdated and mal-functioning sewerage and storm water drainage systems.
(v) Mikocheni B
Ponding water is common along the main road and in courtyards due to lack of space for
construction of stormwater drainage systems. The natural stormwater drainage system has
been blocked by haphazard construction, including of heavy cement block houses and multistoried
buildings. These have blocked underground channels that used to direct the water
flow to Msasani and into the Indian Ocean. The water flow now tends to back up and flood
houses and feeder roads for months.
7 Low-income people in Tandale Mtogole and Mkunduge do keep livestock (cows, goats, sheep) under zero
grazing and do sell milk for income. However, much of the dung is disposed of into Ubungo river and flows
across Jangwani valley Suna residential area into the Indian Ocean, Filthy water containing animal dung, debris,
human excrement from latrines, floating solid waste is a characteristic feature of the part of Ubungo River
which is Ng’ombe. Dark chemical ridden waters is a characteristic of the Msimbazi River crossing Jangwani
area as the river is illegally used by some industries in Ilala Municipality mostly in disposing off plot industrial
liquid waste water.
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