Some 6 million Tanzanians Still Poo in the Bush

At least 6 million Tanzanians still poo in the bush. A recently released report on water and sanitation in the country reveals.

According to the publication more than nine percent of the population continues to practice open defecation which entails serious health risks.

Now the country is home to more than 61 million residents as of its latest population census results.

In addition, rural areas lag behind urban centres in all dimensions of water supply, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH).

It was discovered that providing universal access to (WASH) could reduce Tanzania’s economic losses by USD 1.9 billion per year by 2030.

The country could also generate more than USD 2.4 billion each year in savings on excess medical costs and lost productivity due to inadequate access, according to a new World Bank report.

This is according to the latest report on ‘Tanzania Economic Update: Clean Water, Bright Future: The Transformative Impact of Investing in WASH.

The publication indicates that while the country has made significant progress in recent years in improving access to WASH services, only 61 percent of households have access to basic water supply.

Some 32 percent access basic sanitation while 48 percent have basic hygiene according to the Sustainable Development Goals’ definitions.

“For Tanzania to ensure universal water supply, sanitation, and hygiene access, considerable upfront investment is required to avoid the devastating consequences of inadequate services. Achieving WASH goals can support the jobs agenda while mitigating the adverse effects on workforce productivity and advance Tanzania’s objectives for inclusive growth and poverty reduction.”

Nathan Belete – World Bank Country Director.

Death and disease are the most immediate consequences of inadequate water supply, sanitation, and hygiene services.

It is in fact said to be responsible for 31,000 deaths (10 percent of preventable deaths).

It costs the economy more than USD 2.4 billion each year in excess medical costs and lost productivity.

The heaviest toll is being borne by women, children, and the poor and vulnerable.

For example, WASH-related illnesses lessen the educational attainment of students and impair the cognitive development of children.

To achieve and sustain universal WASH access, the report recommends a combination of policy measures, institutional capacity building, and new financial arrangements at the national, subnational, and community levels.

It calls for prioritizing the cross-cutting impact of WASH on the government’s larger policy agenda and urges policymakers across sectors to advocate for WASH investments and develop collaborative solutions to address their shared challenges.

“The implementation of Tanzania’s third Water Sector Development Program (WSDP) requires an estimated USD 6.5 billion in total,” said Ruth Kennedy-Walker, World Bank Senior Water Supply and Sanitation Specialist and report co-author.

“On the other hand, providing near universal WASH access would cost the government just USD16 per capita per year, which is less than half the USD 38 per capita that inadequate WASH services cost Tanzania each year.

The WSDP-3 implementation therefore would generate benefits equal to its initial investment of USD 4.1 billion, for WASH related activities under the program, within five years.”

On the overall economy, the 18th Tanzania Economic Update shows that strong macro fundamentals allowed Tanzania to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic in good shape.

However the economic recovery has been relatively modest due to strong headwinds created by the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, tightening global financial conditions, and global economic slow-down.

For 2022, GDP growth was 4.6 percent, marginally higher than 4.3 percent growth in 2021.

The economic recovery in 2022 nevertheless remains broad based with most sectors rebounding to pre-COVID activity levels.