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

inadequate understanding of disaster risk accumulation processes and outright
malpractice by both planners and developers. As revealed in Msasani Bonde la
Mpunga, rezoning and allocation of commercial plots was not instigated by lowincome
inhabitants or small-scale developers, rather, by planners working at the
behest of wealthy individuals with access to foreign capital. … In order to minimize
hazards in urban areas, both in planned and unplanned settlements, disaster risk
reduction measures should be part and parcel of the policies, laws and planning
procedures. Once institutionalized, these measures must be consistently enforced.” (p.
145).
Kiunsi et al. (2009) recommend that guidelines for disaster risk reduction be mainstreamed in
the preparation of general planning schemes, detailed planning schemes, detailed urban
renewal schemes, and schemes for regularization.
Support public health programs
Cost-effective mass treatment programs need to be implemented for a number of Neglected
Tropical Diseases (NTDs), such as filariasis, soil helminthes, and schistosomiasis, which are
all prevalent in Dar es Salaam. According to the WHO (2000:11), the cost is $1 per person
for a combination drug to eliminate NTDs, taken once per year over a 4-5 year period. This
drug combination also kills other intestinal and dermatological parasites. A mass drug
administration program for elimination of NTDs should be implemented across national
health facilities among people going for treatment for other diseases. The cost is likely to be
affordable for community members. Their engagement depends on a well-mobilized program
and whether they are fully aware of the benefits of the treatment.
More efforts also need to be put into integrated approaches to control malaria, rather than
relying solely on the distribution of nets treated with insecticide. Improvements to drainage
systems and their regular maintenance will go a long way towards reducing flooding and
consequent ponding and stagnation of water, thereby reducing breeding sites.
Support CDM activities
Dar es Salaam should be supported through CDM funding in expanding and scaling up the
City Council’s existing plans to manage solid waste. Efforts to encourage fuel-switching at a
household level from charcoal to LPG, for example, could also provide valuable health
benefits to residents while reducing GHG emissions.
Support existing successful urban upgrading programs
Initiatives such as the Community Infrastructure Upgrading Programme (CIUP), through
which informal settlements are being upgraded, have great potential in that they involve
communities in identifying problems and solutions and cover a wide array of physical and
institutional measures to improve urban areas. Projects such as AURAN have conducted
detailed studies on flood risk to informal settlements in Dar es Salaam, and technical as well
as community groups have already been established. They need to be supported and used as a
resource for future such efforts.
Support for communities, based on survey results
In the surveys implemented by the study team from University of Dar es Salaam, residents
and entrepreneurs were asked to identify priority actions needed in their areas. In order of
decreasing importance, they identified the need for (i) education on the impacts of climate
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