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

• Coordination among local stakeholders is needed (according to Meshack et al. (2006), there is
limited coordination among experts in the Municipalities: the office of the Town Planner, the
Engineer, and the Health Officer tend to work independently of each other).
• Industries need to be relocated away from residential areas and each industry should construct or
have access to its own waste stabilization pond. This will reduce disposal of chemical and other
waste into rivers that households depend on for livelihood activities.
• Awareness-raising programs are needed at the community level educating people about the need
for improved sanitation practices. Greater effort needs to go into provision of improved latrines
for residents.
6.3 Capacity needs
• Communities in informal settlements need to be educated about the link between unsanitary
waste disposal practices, stagnant water, unclean drinking water, and disease incidence.
• Environmental committees and community-based organizations need to be trained about the
need for organized waste collection and its link to reduced vector/insect breeding and disease.
• The capacity of the Tanzania Meteorological Agency needs to be improved in weather and
climate monitoring, including in more accurate prediction of severe weather and extreme
climatic events, and in analysis and interpretation of data. Improvements are also needed in
disseminating alerts and early warnings. As exceptionally heavy rainfall in Dar es Salaam
appears to often be associated with strong El Niño episodes, efforts should be made to alert the
public to increased flood risk at such times.
• Local research capacity needs to be built to better understand the likely impacts of climate
change in the long term for the poor of Dar es Salaam.
• Capacity needs to be developed in city planning departments to understand the long-term
sectoral impacts of climate change for Dar es Salaam.
• Links need to be forged and enhanced between climate experts and journalists to ensure effective
dissemination of climate change information.
• It is important that the Health Education Unit of the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare be
revived. This Unit was very active in the past, and undertook health education and awareness
raising programs through radio programs and community out-reach.
• The capacity of Dar es Salaam’s private sector entities needs to be better developed so they may
engage actively in supporting adaptation and mitigation while profiting from such endeavors.
6.4 Recommendations for further study
• It is important to take stock of what has already been done in terms of comprehensive risk
assessment of informal settlements in Dar es Salaam. Several disparate efforts have been made
by various actors; what has and has not been done, and by whom? It is also very important to
find out about technical teams and public officials that have been trained in risk management and
sustainable urban planning under these efforts as they should continue to be engaged in similar
future efforts, while new capacity is also built.
• Urban/Town Planning and Settlement related laws need to be reviewed to ensure they deal
adequately with vulnerability and risk. It will also be important to determine how existing proanti-pollution
and pro-poor policies and laws can be better enforced (for example, laws
prohibiting illegal construction that blocks neighborhood drains).
• High-resolution digital maps are needed for city.
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