Browsing by Author "Hambati, Herbert"

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    Disaster risk reduction in informal settlements in the Mwanza city ecosystem in Tanzania
    (University of Dar es Salaam, 2011) Hambati, Herbert
    Proliferation of informal settlements on hazardous areas in Mwanza City has aggravated disaster risk to the community. This study examined the nature, characteristics of the community and degree of disaster risk to the people and their properties. It also evaluated the community efforts in disaster risk reduction for sustainable urban ecosystems. The study applied Wisner et al’s (2005) Pressure and Release Model (PARM) in addressing disaster risk management. Geographical Information Systems (GIS) was used to determine the extent of community and resources vulnerability to hazards and disaster risks in the informal settlements over time while the root causes of vulnerability to disaster risk and their mitigation measures were determined in the field through focus group discussions, household interviews, community hazard and resources mapping and field observations. The methods used in data analysis were both qualitative and quantitative. Analysis and interpretation based on socio-economic and political ecology status of local community revealed that, the people living in and working in the rock city (Mwanza city) and their properties have been exposed to natural, human-made and human-induced hazards and disasters. Analysis and interpretation based on GIS and households interviewed have shown that, there is no sign that development on hazardous land will ever decrease. The increase in hectares of built-up areas on hazardous land meant the increase in the number of people and their property that are exposed to and vulnerable to natural, human-made and human-induced hazards. There are variations in disaster risk mainly caused by the variations of vulnerability of elements at risk to hazards in the study area in terms of physical and socio-economic conditions. Physical vulnerability was associated with environmental conditions such as site location, aspect, slope and climate variations. Socio-economic vulnerability was associated with socio-economic characteristics of people namely age, sex, marital status, family size, education and income. From the households surveyed and results of GIS analysis, the study area underscores the ingenuity of community prone to geological, geomorphologic, meteorological, hydrological and anthropogenic hazards and disasters. However, communities have developed mitigation measures and strategies to manage specific hazards individually or communally; singly and/or cumulatively. The measures and strategies were both structural and non-structural. Structural measures include slope stabilisation, flood control walls, cut-off drains, rock-reinforcement and tree planting. Non-structural measures are seasonal migration to the highlands during the rainy season and traditional spatial physical planning technologies. The study revealed that natural, human-made and human-induced hazards and disasters have threatened and destroyed poor household economies, both in terms of their frequency and of the severity of damage associated with them. The capacity of a community faced with the risk of natural, human-made and human-induced disasters can be defined as the vulnerability of a society before disaster strikes and its recovery and resilience after the event. The current state of knowledge have shown that, the future stability of Mwanza city ecosystem is on threat, should the increased trend of human settlements on hazardous land persist. To improve quality of life and safety in the community prone to natural, human-made and human-induced hazards in the informal settlements, there should be measures and strategies to reduce severity of disasters and to improve safety and security of people and their property over time and space. Therefore any measures and strategies aiming at reducing disaster risk should address the whole set of issues leading to disparities within the community under the umbrella of neo-liberalism
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    The role of traditional environmental knowledge systems in land resources conservation and management in Tanzania
    (University of Dar es Salaam, 2003) Hambati, Herbert
    The role of TEKS on land resources conservation and management on arable land, pastureland, forestland, and water resources in rural Tanzania has been less understood as well as poorly documented over time and space in relation to land resources productivity. The PRA methods and questionnaire interviews were mainly used in inventorying and analyzing TEKS at household and community levels. The PRA generated data include spatial, temporal, socio-economic and institutional data. The questionnaires were used to collect the qualitative and quantitative data basing on household activities. The findings reveal that the Kainam community through TEKS has classified land and land use depending on the nature of landscape in terms of slope and aspect. The specific land utilization types are suited only to particular ecological and management conditions tested over years, for example cropland, pastureland, forestland and water resources. On cropland, the soil fertility is being conserved and managed through farm manuring, intercroping of cereals and leguminous crops, as well as on farm preservation of good weed species that fix nitrogen into the soils. Soil-water is conserved and managed through terraces, ridges and mulching. On pastureland, the resources are conserved and managed through rotational grazing over time and space to allow for regeneration of plants and diseases control. On forestland and water resources, the resources are conserved and managed through traditional beliefs and by-laws. Furthermore, TEKS in Kainam village is guided and strengthened through traditional regulations over time and space in promoting the productivity of the village ecosystems. Indeed, local knowledge is scientific as it is being subjected to improvement through site practices over time and space. The study has also shown that, the Kainam community is ready to adopt new technologies and evaluate them scientifically before being put into practices. It is recommended that, first, research on inventorying TEKS be intensified and conducted on other parts of Mbulu district and the country at large, so that the people may be aware of the knowledge they possess and help them enrich further. Secondly, policies on land use should integrate available TEKS and hence guide planning and implementation of development programs as a basis for promoting the land resources productivity for the present and future generations.