Assessment of water and sanitation services in informal urban settlements and its effect on health: a case study of Tandale Uzuri, Dar e salaam,

The importance of water and sanitation is well known on global content whereas there have been drastic improvements in the water and sanitation sectors over the years. Informal urban settlements which are also on the increase due to population growth are highly impacted by poor water and sanitation services resulting into serious health problems to the people living in formal settlements. This study was aimed at assessing the water and sanitation services in informal urban settlements and their effect on health. The study was guided by there objectives firstly, to assess the different water and sanitation services that are variable in Tandale Uzuri; Secondly, to identify the health problems encountered by people in Tandale Uzuri. All of the respondents confirmed the challenges with water and sanitation services in their area. 64% of respondents confirmed to people suffering from waterborne diseases in the community while 52% admitted to suffer from these waterborne diseases in their households. 67% of respondents confirmed that children were mostly affected by these diseases that include Diarrhea, Cholera, Worms, Malaria, Schistosomiasis and Typhoid. The study suggests that the government should look into giving more support to those informal urban settlements in the water and sanitation sector. Although in is the government’s responsibility to provide for the communities, the study suggests that the private sector work together with the government in providing services to the area. This is because the private sector alone could not replace the government hence they should work hand in providing for the communities at affordable prices.