Kilimanjaro - Tanzania Online Gateway

2.4.1.10Irrigation:
According to the Japanes Planning Team (RIDEP,
Kilimanjaro 1977) 5.4 percent of the region’s cultivated land is
irrigated compared with only 4 percent in Tanzania as a whole.
Within the region, irrigation coverage is exceptionally high in
Moshi rural, Hai, Rombo and Pare districts (Mwanga and Same).
This is due to the fact that these two districts (Moshi Rural and
Hai) are in densely populated mountain slopes where a large
amount of water is available and utilised, and the fact that an
increasing number of people who are gradually being forced by
population pressure to move downhill and settle in lowland areas
are using an increasingly large amount of water for irrigation
farming. Rombo has very few permanent streams and irrigation in
the district is negligible, even within the Coffee/banana belt. In
Kilimanjaro region, water plays a very crucial role. Three sources
of irrigation water may be considered: surface water, underground
water and dams. Water resources in Moshi rural, Hai and
Rombo districts originate primarily from rain in the mountain area
and from the melting snow on the mountain slopes, forming
numerous tream flowing down the mountain.
TABLE XVII: TRADITIONAL IRRIGATION WATER SOURCES,
KILIMANJARO REGION, 1990
District No. of Rivers DMS Traditional Irrigation Channels
Same 6 1 52
Mwanga 5 1 26
Rombo 2 - 16
Moshi 8 - 260
Hai 7 - 154
51