INTRODUCTION
BACK
GROUND OF TANZANIA CITIES
The
distribution of human population forms very uneven patterns over the earth’s
sur-face. In the cities areas such as Dar es salaam,Arusha and Mbeya have
historically served as important places of settlement providing important
resources including water for navigation and human consumption, easy access to
transport, and productive land such as Iwambi in Mbeya. According to UN
statistics, currently over 60 percent of the world’s population live within 100
km of the coast which means that people frequently exert intense, often
destructive pressure on cities habitats. Such pressure can take a variety of
forms, including dramatic physical alteration of the landscape, pollution of
cities waters and sediments, and excessive harvesting of local species.
Additionally, cities populations are exposed to a number of hazards associated
with close interaction with water, such as loss of life and property due to
wastage water, flooding example at Ilemi in 2006 .The city of Dar es salaam,
whose historical boundaries reside within a Pwani maintains an un-usually
intimate relationship with the sea. Some of the specific problems that Dar es
salaam’s citizens currently struggle with are unique to the city, but the
broader issues, of habitat loss, erosion, subsidence, flooding, and other pollutions ( UNECA ,2011).
THE
DEFINITION OF KEY TERMS
Environmental
hazards, refers to those things that cause dangerous or cause damage to place
where people, animals and plants live (Oxford dictionary,2010).
Dar es Salaam, means 'haven of peace.' Dar es
Salaam is the largest city and earlier capital of Tanzania. The city is located
in the eastern part of the country on the wing of the Indian Ocean. Dar es
Salaam was founded by the sultan of Zanzibar in 1862 ( NBS, 2007).
Arusha
, is a city in northern Tanzania, the capital of the Arusha Region, with a
projected population of The city of Arusha is surrounded by some of Africa's
most famous landscapes and national parks. Situated below Mount Meru on the
eastern edge of the eastern branch of the Great Rift Valley, Arusha has a
temperate climate. The city is close to Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, Lake
Manyara, Olduvai Gorge, Tarangire National Park, and Mount Kilimanjaro and The
Arusha National Park on Mount Meru. Getis, A., J. Getis, and J.D. FellmannEAC
(2010).
Mbeya
City, is one of the 8 districts of the
Mbeya Region of Tanzania and comprises the area of Mbeya town. It is bordered
to the North by the Mbeya Rural District, to the East by the Rungwe District,
to the South by the Ileje District and to the West by the Mbozi District(
www.mbeya.og.tz).
THE
FOLLOWING ARE SOME OF THE PROMINENT ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS COVERED IN MBEYA
CITY,DAR-ES-SALAAM AND ARUSHA CITY.
Air
Pollution, the major sources of air pollution
are motor vehicles (believed to
be the primary source affecting ambient air quality), industrial pollution and
residential burning of fossil fuels. Automobile air pollution is a growing
problem in in all Cities and as such it needs immediate attention before it
goes out of control. Even in a private
car, a bus, motorcycle or a taxi, the time we spend transporting ourselves in
cities is getting longer, the costs are getting higher, while the air we
breathe gets dirtier fore xample Mbeya cement industry. Regardless of income or
social status, the conditions under which we travel have become more and more
difficult and, for some, absolutely intolerable.
Water Pollution, Improper treatment and
disposal of liquid wastes is the major contributor to urban area pollution. In
Dar es Salaam, for example, less than 5% of the population is connected to a
sewage system. In such areas raw sewage is discharged directly into the Indian
Ocean without prior treatment. Where sewage system does not exist sewage is
normally discharged treated or untreated in to water bodies . In many cases,
such a situation leads to diseases in humans and destroys aquatic life.
Land
degradation, land degradation also results from the removal of woody vegetation
especially when the rate of removal is higher than the rate of regeneration ,
for example Sand mining is being undertaken within the Dar es Salaam City,
Mbeya city, and Arusha city in areas not designated for such activities. This
phenomenon has created conflicts between residents and city authorities and
ultimately undermined principles of urban planning. It has created big holes
which essentially affect the aesthetic features of the area. This activity has
potentially exacerbated soil erosion and resulted into a loss of productive land.
Environmental
pollution in agriculture is mainly due to the use of agrochemicals, livestock
drugs, and fertilizers. The pollution arises out of improper handling and
overuse of agrochemicals; the use of banned chemicals; improper disposal of
chemical containers, chemical control of
migratory pests, and control of weaver birds using toxic chemicals like
copper, and parquet in Mbeya city has
been a major environmental hazard.
Deterioration
of aquatic systems, Aquatic resource for Tanzania include marine and fresh
water ecosystems, mangrove forests, coral reefs, seaweeds or grasses, wetlands,
lakes and rivers. These resources provide the livelihood of a significant part
of the population. They are also an important food source. They also contribute
to the tourist industry. Concerns over aquatic resources in Tanzania arise
because of such practices as environmentally destructive fishing using
dynamite, excessive trawling, chemical poisoning, and use of small mesh size
nets. The destruction of coral reefs which are critical habitats of marine
organisms is a cause of great concern. Beach erosion, coastal pollution from
oil spillage and sewage, and uncontrolled felling of mangroves are major
environmental concerns facing these cities.
Conclusion
Environmental
hazards contributed to the problems for human and other living organism, this
is why the government of Tanzania have being struggling to protect the
environment in order to bring sustainable development within the society.
References
Getis, A., J. Getis, and J.D. FellmannEAC
(2010). Declaration of the 12th summit of EAC heads of state on food security
and climate change. East African Community, Arusha
5.
National Bureau of Statistics-NBS (2007). Household Budget Survey
National
Bureau of Statistics, Planning Commission, Dar es Salaam.
UNECA (2011). A Green Economy in the Context
of Sustainable Development and
Poverty
Eradication: What are the Implications for Africa
www.mbeya.go.tz
Written By AUSI CHIWAMBO (2014)-Teofilo Kisanji University
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