Assessment of sanitation situation in Mabwepande resettlement area in Dar es salaam region

Access to safe water and sanitation is a human right that applies in times of peace and in emergencies. The objective of this study was to assess sanitation situation in Mabwepande resettlement area in Dar es Salaam region. A cross sectional study design was used to conduct this research. A total of 272 households had participated in the study. The major source of water in the resettlement area was community water points which were irregular and inconvenient, the daily water consumption per person was found to be 16 litres. The latrines used by the households were un improved ones characterized with mud, wooden floor thatch grasses and were roofless. About 42% of the households used shared latrines which were dirty thus endangered their lives. Community participation was very low, only 16% of the households participated in meetings. There was no accountable authority who was responsible for provision of both water and Sanitation services in the resettlement area. It was proposed that the most appropriate improved water supply and sanitation technologies to use in the village are protected hand dug wells and simple pit latrines. Community participation was also identified as the main contributor to sanitation improvement. Poor Institutional arrangements were identified as the main obstacles to the improvement of water supply and sanitation and the achievement of 100% coverage. Therefore inadequate level of service to the study area could be seen as opportunity for further improvements towards universal access to improved sanitation services.