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

<strong>The</strong> impact <strong>of</strong> energy use on poor urban livelihoods in Arusha, Tanzania,
Charcoal, firewood, kerosene and electricity are currently the major energy sources
for urban areas. <strong>The</strong> dominant fuels being charcoal and firewood which together
account for 80% <strong>of</strong> cooking usage. 70% <strong>of</strong> households use kerosene for lighting,
and a further 30% use electricity.
3.7.4 Supply and use <strong>of</strong> energy in Arusha
<strong>The</strong>re is a large deficit between the supply and demand for wood and charcoal in
Arusha District. 39 <strong>The</strong> electricity network is substandard and poorly maintained, at
least partly because <strong>of</strong> lack <strong>of</strong> funds resulting from failure by customers to pay.
Currently there is an annual shortfall in income to TANESCO <strong>of</strong> nearly a half a billion
Tanzanian shillings. Tanesco is adopting a number <strong>of</strong> strategies to improve payment
<strong>of</strong> charges and repayment <strong>of</strong> debt.
Most households in Arusha currently use firewood and charcoal in preference to
electricity and gas. Very few use electricity for cooking. Restaurants and guest
houses are all significant users <strong>of</strong> woodfuel. In addition, Arusha’s textile industry and
brewery have also reverted to using woodfuel because <strong>of</strong> high electricity costs.
Because <strong>of</strong> their demand, this further reduces the availability and hence raises the
cost <strong>of</strong> this energy source for domestic consumers 40 .
3.8 Gender
3.8.1 <strong>The</strong> cultural paradigm
<strong>The</strong> cultural paradigm still considers women, despite evidence <strong>of</strong> changing male and
female economic roles and responsibilities, as subservient to men. Men are still
expected to be the bread winner and women to be married and perform all the
reproductive work including care for children, the old, sick and disabled. <strong>The</strong>se
responsibilities are rarely supported by improved technology. Boys are commonly
preferred over girls. This social preference for boys by family, community and the
legal system gives them more options to succeed than girls. Girls are nurtured to
become women who are non-argumentative, non assertive and quick to accept
defeat and subordination. In school, they (girls) are <strong>of</strong>ten assigned domestic
activities, such as fetching water for teachers and cooking for the bachelors, limiting
their time for study. Boys are given more time after school for sports, while girls are
usually assigned household chores. (Mzinga: undated)
3.8.2 Household structure
<strong>The</strong> nuclear family comprising a married couple with children is more common in
urban areas than the large extended families that predominant in rural areas.
Although as shown in this study such extended families are still relatively common in
some poor urban areas.
Growth in number <strong>of</strong> female headed households
Over a quarter (28%) <strong>of</strong> all urban households (excluding Dar-es-Salaam) were
headed by women in 200/1 (HBS: 02). <strong>The</strong>re has been a growth <strong>of</strong> 4 per cent in the
number <strong>of</strong> households headed by women over the decade since 1991/2. This
increase is attributed to divorce, separation <strong>of</strong> spouses, or because <strong>of</strong> death <strong>of</strong> the
husband. An increase in broken marriages is credited to the social disruption
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Currently there is regional demand <strong>of</strong> 3.2 billion cubic meters. <strong>The</strong> current regional supply is 2 million
cubic meters (if all the wood supply was depleted). <strong>The</strong> sustainable capacity (without degradation) is
100,000 cubic meters.
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Key Informant Interview
16 Development Planning Unit, UCL London
Dr. Sheilah Meikle and Patrice North