Citizen Engagement for Proper Borehole Management
Summary
After recognizing a need for enhanced borehole management in Temeke, a low-income district of Dar es Salaam, Tanzanian water-advocacy organization, Shahidi wa Maji with its partner organization Water Witness International, began a campaign to engage citizens by helping them learn about proper borehole management and to assert their rights by holding the local water utility accountable for registering and monitoring the district’s boreholes.
Piped water from Dar es Salaam Water and Sewage Authority (DAWASA) is not available in off-grid areas of Dar es Salaam, such as Chamazi ward, a low-income area in the Temeke district of the city. As such, Chamazi ward’s 63,650 residents primarily rely on groundwater from boreholes for their water supply (Tanzania, 2013; Shahidi wa Maji, 2018). Approximately 90% of Chamazi’s residents draw water from boreholes that do not deliver enough water to meet users’ needs or deliver water that is unsafe, which often results in water shortages in the ward, especially during the dry season. Compounding this water security problem is most households’ reliance on unlined pit latrines instead of formal sanitation services, which—when coupled with using the unregulated boreholes—can contaminate groundwater and result in outbreaks of water-borne illnesses like cholera (Shahidi wa Maji, 2018; Pallangyo, 2006).
Intervention
Shahidi wa Maji (SwM), the Tanzanian partner of international non-governmental organization, Water Witness International (WWI), initiated the Fair Water Futures (FWF, or Uhakika wa Maji) program in Chamazi ward in 2018. The FWF program was implemented in Chamazi ward to support communities in mitigating significant and persistent problems with regard to water security. The FWF program was designed to help communities, such as Chamazi ward, diagnose bottlenecks in water policy and service delivery using social accountability mechanisms. Immediate goals of the program were to help communities mitigate the uncontrolled abstraction of groundwater, activate institutional arrangements for groundwater protection, garner advocacy for safe water provision (and participation from the utility, DAWASA), and provide education about proper borehole management from lessons learned throughout the program implementation period (Shahidi wa Maji, 2018). In addition, community members wanted to ensure that tariffs charged by private borehole owners are properly regulated, so as to secure affordable and equitable access to water for the community (Shahidi wa Maji, 2018).
The FWF program in Chamazi ward is based on a process intended to ensure safer and more equitable access to water for the ward’s residents. First, FWF, acting in conjunction with local community members, identified and documented risks and challenges affecting groundwater in Chamazi. FWF used the data and evidence collected to demonstrate the risks associated with unregulated abstraction, and how inadequate intervention by appropriate authorities to mitigate these risks was impacting the local population. Second, FWF identified local community members to serve as volunteer “Eyewitnesses” (“Mashahidi”) to monitor the water quality and quantity at various boreholes throughout the district. The FWF team helped educate these Eyewitnesses about legal, regulatory, and technical issues related to groundwater abstraction, and supported them in identifying top priorities for their community (i.e. addressing pressing issues such as uncontrolled borehole drilling, lack of water supply infrastructure, poor sanitation services, unreliable water quality and environmental pollution). Third, the Eyewitnesses developed and implemented an action plan aimed at engaging the relevant institutions and regulatory bodies to address the water security challenges in their community while FWF tracked the authorities’ responses. Finally, SwM is using the data and evidence regarding persistent bottlenecks gathered in the FWF project to demonstrate the challenges facing extant borehole management policies and to inform national- and local-level advocacy for systemic change (Shahidi wa Maji, 2018). The community continues to work with the municipal utility authorities to register and monitor boreholes in Chamazi ward and share data with SwM (Hyera, 2020).
Challenges
Although successful in enhancing water security in Chamazi Ward, the FWF program is not without its challenges. The permit issuance process is slow and the private borehole owners are still waiting on their permits due to the Basin Water Boards’ funding shortfalls, which hinder their ability to carry out their duties effectively. WWI and SwM continue to call for adequate funding and coordination of policy between state and basin levels if water security is to be effectively addressed by the government (Shahidi wa Maji, 2020). Furthermore, it is necessary to consider the long-term viability of programs contingent upon volunteering, wherein citizens are not remunerated for their efforts.
Since FWF’s initiation in 2018, DAWASA has also implemented related initiatives, including an effort to identify and register all boreholes in Dar es Salaam through DAWASA’s Off-Grid Department. Although the Off-Grid Department’s registry of boreholes was an unrelated project (that is, not initiated with the help of SwM), it will request relevant data from the utility pertaining to boreholes in Chamazi ward (Shahidi wa Maji, 2020). Ultimately, the FWF Program undertaken by SwM has resulted in many benefits throughout Chamazi ward, that reach beyond solely helping to ensure safe water supply for citizens. The social accountability approach championed by SwM has made citizens more aware of their rights and dutybearer’s obligations, thereby equipping them to address future issues with the appropriate authorities on their own. The FWF program has also succeeded in building solid relationships between the community and municipal institutions, such as DAWASA, which are built to enable constructive resolution of future water security issues.
Outcomes
SwM’s FWF program yielded a number of positive outcomes in Chamazi ward. Primarily, the program created training sessions to educate citizens about water-related laws, raised awareness about communities’ rights and the authorities’ responsibilities with regard to water security, and helped mobilize the community to address significant water challenges they face. As a result, FWF successfully empowered communities across Chamazi ward to hold authorities to account to provide better and safer water services. This was achieved by identifying challenges and channeling them to responsible institutions (e.g., lack of water supply infrastructures after requests had been sent to DAWASA, unregulated water abstraction and inadequate monitoring of quality and pricing at private boreholes after a formal request was sent to the Wami/Ruvu Basin Water Board, etc.). SwM also helped link communities with the responsible authorities through bilateral meetings and organized forums, enabling more open dialogue amongst stakeholders. Finally, by using the evidence collected across Chamazi ward and other case study sites, SwM was able to advocate for water security rights on a higher level, influencing a shift in policy and an increase in accountability in the water sector in Chamazi ward and beyond (Shahidi wa Maji, 2020).
SwM’s efforts have resulted in significant improvements in borehole management in Chamazi ward. To date, 779 water sources have been mapped and registered in a joint exercise with the local community volunteers (the ‘Mashahidi’) and the Basin Water Board. In this exercise, the community Eyewitnesses inform the Basin Water Board of the boreholes’ locations, which the Water Board registers accordingly. Furthermore, thanks to the Mashahidi’s efforts, public awareness has significantly increased regarding the need for local borehole managers to obtain permits to enhance overall water security for district residents. Since the initiation of the project, 15 private borehole owners (water vendors) have applied for statutory permits. Chamazi residents have also requested water quality testing of boreholes and have urged DAWASA to increase awareness-raising efforts regarding adequate source-water protection. Through its new Off-Grid Department, DAWASA has supplied water treatment chemicals to a number of private water vendors across Chamazi ward to prevent future outbreaks of cholera and other water-borne illnesses (Shahidi wa Maji, 2020).
References
Citizen Engagement for Proper Borehole Management
Summary
After recognizing a need for enhanced borehole management in Temeke, a low-income district of Dar es Salaam, Tanzanian water-advocacy organization, Shahidi wa Maji with its partner organization Water Witness International, began a campaign to engage citizens by helping them learn about proper borehole management and to assert their rights by holding the local water utility accountable for registering and monitoring the district’s boreholes.
Piped water from Dar es Salaam Water and Sewage Authority (DAWASA) is not available in off-grid areas of Dar es Salaam, such as Chamazi ward, a low-income area in the Temeke district of the city. As such, Chamazi ward’s 63,650 residents primarily rely on groundwater from boreholes for their water supply (Tanzania, 2013; Shahidi wa Maji, 2018). Approximately 90% of Chamazi’s residents draw water from boreholes that do not deliver enough water to meet users’ needs or deliver water that is unsafe, which often results in water shortages in the ward, especially during the dry season. Compounding this water security problem is most households’ reliance on unlined pit latrines instead of formal sanitation services, which—when coupled with using the unregulated boreholes—can contaminate groundwater and result in outbreaks of water-borne illnesses like cholera (Shahidi wa Maji, 2018; Pallangyo, 2006).
Issue
Intervention
Shahidi wa Maji (SwM), the Tanzanian partner of international non-governmental organization, Water Witness International (WWI), initiated the Fair Water Futures (FWF, or Uhakika wa Maji) program in Chamazi ward in 2018. The FWF program was implemented in Chamazi ward to support communities in mitigating significant and persistent problems with regard to water security. The FWF program was designed to help communities, such as Chamazi ward, diagnose bottlenecks in water policy and service delivery using social accountability mechanisms. Immediate goals of the program were to help communities mitigate the uncontrolled abstraction of groundwater, activate institutional arrangements for groundwater protection, garner advocacy for safe water provision (and participation from the utility, DAWASA), and provide education about proper borehole management from lessons learned throughout the program implementation period (Shahidi wa Maji, 2018). In addition, community members wanted to ensure that tariffs charged by private borehole owners are properly regulated, so as to secure affordable and equitable access to water for the community (Shahidi wa Maji, 2018).
The FWF program in Chamazi ward is based on a process intended to ensure safer and more equitable access to water for the ward’s residents. First, FWF, acting in conjunction with local community members, identified and documented risks and challenges affecting groundwater in Chamazi. FWF used the data and evidence collected to demonstrate the risks associated with unregulated abstraction, and how inadequate intervention by appropriate authorities to mitigate these risks was impacting the local population. Second, FWF identified local community members to serve as volunteer “Eyewitnesses” (“Mashahidi”) to monitor the water quality and quantity at various boreholes throughout the district. The FWF team helped educate these Eyewitnesses about legal, regulatory, and technical issues related to groundwater abstraction, and supported them in identifying top priorities for their community (i.e. addressing pressing issues such as uncontrolled borehole drilling, lack of water supply infrastructure, poor sanitation services, unreliable water quality and environmental pollution). Third, the Eyewitnesses developed and implemented an action plan aimed at engaging the relevant institutions and regulatory bodies to address the water security challenges in their community while FWF tracked the authorities’ responses. Finally, SwM is using the data and evidence regarding persistent bottlenecks gathered in the FWF project to demonstrate the challenges facing extant borehole management policies and to inform national- and local-level advocacy for systemic change (Shahidi wa Maji, 2018). The community continues to work with the municipal utility authorities to register and monitor boreholes in Chamazi ward and share data with SwM (Hyera, 2020).
Challenges
Although successful in enhancing water security in Chamazi Ward, the FWF program is not without its challenges. The permit issuance process is slow and the private borehole owners are still waiting on their permits due to the Basin Water Boards’ funding shortfalls, which hinder their ability to carry out their duties effectively. WWI and SwM continue to call for adequate funding and coordination of policy between state and basin levels if water security is to be effectively addressed by the government (Shahidi wa Maji, 2020). Furthermore, it is necessary to consider the long-term viability of programs contingent upon volunteering, wherein citizens are not remunerated for their efforts.
Since FWF’s initiation in 2018, DAWASA has also implemented related initiatives, including an effort to identify and register all boreholes in Dar es Salaam through DAWASA’s Off-Grid Department. Although the Off-Grid Department’s registry of boreholes was an unrelated project (that is, not initiated with the help of SwM), it will request relevant data from the utility pertaining to boreholes in Chamazi ward (Shahidi wa Maji, 2020). Ultimately, the FWF Program undertaken by SwM has resulted in many benefits throughout Chamazi ward, that reach beyond solely helping to ensure safe water supply for citizens. The social accountability approach championed by SwM has made citizens more aware of their rights and dutybearer’s obligations, thereby equipping them to address future issues with the appropriate authorities on their own. The FWF program has also succeeded in building solid relationships between the community and municipal institutions, such as DAWASA, which are built to enable constructive resolution of future water security issues.
Outcomes
SwM’s FWF program yielded a number of positive outcomes in Chamazi ward. Primarily, the program created training sessions to educate citizens about water-related laws, raised awareness about communities’ rights and the authorities’ responsibilities with regard to water security, and helped mobilize the community to address significant water challenges they face. As a result, FWF successfully empowered communities across Chamazi ward to hold authorities to account to provide better and safer water services. This was achieved by identifying challenges and channeling them to responsible institutions (e.g., lack of water supply infrastructures after requests had been sent to DAWASA, unregulated water abstraction and inadequate monitoring of quality and pricing at private boreholes after a formal request was sent to the Wami/Ruvu Basin Water Board, etc.). SwM also helped link communities with the responsible authorities through bilateral meetings and organized forums, enabling more open dialogue amongst stakeholders. Finally, by using the evidence collected across Chamazi ward and other case study sites, SwM was able to advocate for water security rights on a higher level, influencing a shift in policy and an increase in accountability in the water sector in Chamazi ward and beyond (Shahidi wa Maji, 2020).
SwM’s efforts have resulted in significant improvements in borehole management in Chamazi ward. To date, 779 water sources have been mapped and registered in a joint exercise with the local community volunteers (the ‘Mashahidi’) and the Basin Water Board. In this exercise, the community Eyewitnesses inform the Basin Water Board of the boreholes’ locations, which the Water Board registers accordingly. Furthermore, thanks to the Mashahidi’s efforts, public awareness has significantly increased regarding the need for local borehole managers to obtain permits to enhance overall water security for district residents. Since the initiation of the project, 15 private borehole owners (water vendors) have applied for statutory permits. Chamazi residents have also requested water quality testing of boreholes and have urged DAWASA to increase awareness-raising efforts regarding adequate source-water protection. Through its new Off-Grid Department, DAWASA has supplied water treatment chemicals to a number of private water vendors across Chamazi ward to prevent future outbreaks of cholera and other water-borne illnesses (Shahidi wa Maji, 2020).
Issues |
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Water Scarcity and Access |
Solutions |
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Community Engagement & Education |
References
Hepworth N. D., Joseph J., and Farrow, T. (2016). Fair Water Futures: Social accountability for shared water security process map and guidance handbook. Water Witness International, UK.
Hyera, P. (2020, October 26). EcoCiv Interview with Pendo Hyera, Fair Water Futures Programme Manager at Shahidi wa Maji.
Pallangyo, A. L. (2006). Study on groundwater resource management in Dar es Salaam (Doctoral dissertation, University of Dar es Salaam).
Shahidi wa Maji. (2018). Groundwater management and protection in Dar es Salaam: The case of Chamazi Ward, Temeke District, Dar es Salaam calamity (Rep.).
Shahidi wa Maji. (2020). Protection of Ground Water to Ensure Water Security for Tanzania Population: Chamazi Ward Case Bulletin (Rep.).
Tanzania, N. B. S. (2013). 2012 Population and Housing Census.