The Impact of Energy Use on Poor Urban Livelihoods in ... - DfID

A Study <strong>of</strong> the <strong>Impact</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Energy</strong> on Poor Urban Livelihoods in Arusha, Tanzania
Its consumption is on an upward trend and according to the 2002 TAOMC study 43 ,
there is a consensus among researchers concerning the reasons:
- charcoal prices have remained constant in the last decade making it
increasingly affordable for most urban dwellers;
- electricity is unaffordable to most urban dwellers; more people move from
electricity to charcoal and/or kerosene than go the opposite way;
- kerosene prices tend to rise, making kerosene unaffordable to many as a
source <strong>of</strong> cooking energy, although it is the most popular source <strong>of</strong> light
energy and;
- urban growth
Easy availability, transportation and storage, as well as familiarity and affordability all
cause public opinion to favour charcoal. Moreover
charcoal production in eastern Tanzania has been found to be a major source <strong>of</strong>
employment and income to many rural and urban dwellers. 44
Adoption <strong>of</strong> energy-efficient stoves is not as widespread as was hoped despite
promotion by NGOs. A charcoal stove (jiko) is cheap to buy or can be made with
moderate skill from scrap metal. <strong>The</strong> CHAPOSA Report (2002) suggested that
reasons for the slow rate <strong>of</strong> adoption <strong>of</strong> improved charcoal stoves were 'the higher
initial investment costs and the fragile nature and short life span <strong>of</strong> improved stoves.
Low income households buy charcoal in small amounts almost on a daily basis, but
the small amounts tend to be the most expensive. Thus, perhaps the low-income
households in the city have the highest expenditure per unit on cooking energy'.
Mwihava and Towo (1994) examine a number <strong>of</strong> technological and financial
constraints which create barriers to effective stove dissemination programmes,
including lack <strong>of</strong> research on the actual cooking needs and preferences <strong>of</strong> end users,
as well as the household contexts in which the stoves will be used.
Firewood
Most literature does not talk about firewood per se but subsumes both firewood and
charcoal under the term ‘fuelwood’. Although both rural and urban dwellers use
firewood for cooking, the former are the predominant users. <strong>The</strong> most common type
<strong>of</strong> stove is the 3 stones firewood stoves which has a very low efficiency (as low as 7-
12 % 45 ).
• Petroleum products
Petroleum
Tanzania is considered to have considerable oil and natural gas reserves in both
coastal and <strong>of</strong>fshore basins, however, with the 2000 closure <strong>of</strong> the petroleum refinery
in Dar es Salaam, which had a capacity <strong>of</strong> 14,900 barrels per day there is currently
no national production, 46 30% <strong>of</strong> foreign exchange earnings are spent on importing
petroleum products 47 .
Liquid petroleum gas (LPG)
According TAOMC (2002), 'the Tanzanian LPG market in the 1990s was
characterised by shortages and disruptions in supply, high cost <strong>of</strong> gas and lack <strong>of</strong>
investment in infrastructure, packaging and safety'. <strong>The</strong>se factors as well as poor
marketing led to a decline in consumption from over 6500 tonnes in 1996 to just 3500
43 <strong>The</strong> study covered Dar es Salaam and 10 other urban towns. It did not include Arusha.
44 Monela et al, 1999 quoted in CHAPOSA Study, 2002
45 National Forest Programme, 2001
46 See Yager, Thomas. R, 2000, ‘<strong>The</strong> Mineral Industry <strong>of</strong> Tanzania’
47 Key Informant Interview, Assistant Commissioner, Ministry <strong>of</strong> <strong>Energy</strong> and Minerals
Development Planning Unit, UCL London
Dr. Sheilah Meikle and Patrice North