TANZANIA: Climate change, whose responsibility is it?

The impact of climate change has and is changing the lives of many people around the world especially the poor from developing nations.

In Tanzania as in many other developing countries the climate has changed immensely and it is a critical issue requiring mitigation measures. Many of those affected in Tanzania are especially women. Within the very important functional systems in the society (the family) women play major roles in taking care of their children, husbands, the sick, the elderly, reproduction and performing house chores among many others depending on the nature of their environment. Many women in Tanzania have a lot of experience in environmental concerns. Women have shown their concerns and talents. In most rural areas in Tanzania people depend on agriculture and livestock for their livelihood. In these two practices, women are more involved. Climate change has contributed to long dry spells with those who depend on agriculture risking loss leading to low production and food shortage. Apart from them being victims of climate change, in some parts of Tanzania some of them are agents of positive change. They engage in land cultivation, planting of seeds and through the whole processes including harvesting.

Despite the challenges involved, women have expressed their concerns. The experience and knowledge they have in these areas can bring about climate change. Women in Makoja and Ikowa in Dodoma, contribute to food security. This includes food production, collection and food storage. They are able to tell how much food their families use for a certain period of time say for example in a month. Others use indigenous storage infrastructure for crops and seeds. These old methods are used to avoid decaying of seeds or crops harvested.

The indigenous Maasai women and climate change adaptation.

With the natural year –to –year variations and the extremes in temperatures including the events that come with it; such as the long dry spells, have changed the lives of the indigenous communities of Tanzania. These Indigenous communities such as the Datoga, the Hadzabe, the Maasai among others have been very affected by the harsh climatic changes. Maasai people depend on livestock for their living and had lots of them, they were wealthy but due to climate change the poverty levels have risen. The same experience is among other pastoralists communities in Tanzania. Others had around 500 cows and approximately 500- 1000 goats. They were able to meet their families’ daily needs such as food and clothing.

In the semi- arid areas in Longido, Northern Tanzania the Maasai women are also taking active roles in their communities. Their daily activities reflect the effect of climate change in their lives and those of their families.

One early morning I decided to take a walk along a dry river bed in a small village called Olashapani, three kilometers from the border town of Namanga (Kenya –Tanzania boarder). I found two women scooping unclean water from the river bed using small cups and filling their containers with water. I told them the water was not clean for drinking. They agreed it wasn’t but they had no alternative that was near. This is what I can call adaptation. The women had no alternative, unless they walked three kilometers to Namanga to get clean water from a tap on a common water point carrying water containers (10-20 liters) on their backs, for their homes. I advised them to boil water every time before they drunk it to avoid health problems caused by dirty water.

Just before they left the water point, circumstances that followed confirmed how dirty the water was. A stray dog came along and drunk water from the same shallow hole which the women had used. We watched as the dog drunk water to quench its thirst. I found myself explaining more about health problems that such a situation can cause and relating our observation with it. Then just before they lifted their water containers, a small boy runs to check on the hole and calls for another boy to bring the goats to drink water from the same hole. I again watched with them. I asked them what they thought about it. They confirmed to me that this is what happens. I thought they had never witnessed this kind of situation but to my surprise it was something they have seen before.

The women walked away carrying their water containers on their backs and left. From then, I decided to train the women on the importance and use of clean water among other health related issues.

Water gets contaminated when different animals drink from the same spot. It affects animals and more so peoples’ health, causing dysentery, vomiting, other water borne diseases and sometimes death. Many cases related to these go unreported.

A few minutes later a lorry (tipper) drives down onto the same river bed with five young men. They collected sand, filled the lorry and drove off. The sand harvesters did not mind where they got the sand from, all they needed was sand. They harvested sand on the road that joins two villages Eorrendeke and Olashapani making the joining road impassable. Apart from the river going dry because of sand harvesting on one area for so long, the same Lorries destroyed roads due to the weight as they carry sand. The soil becomes loose and breaks forming trenches and later forming gulleys during rainy seasons. All these activities happened in less than an hour. About eight trips of sand harvesting per lorry ,per day (in a day about 10 lorries harvest sand on the river bed) for construction of new buildings/ structures in a fast developing One- Stop –Border-Post (of Kenya and Tanzania) has contributed to land degradation. If we convert the number of times this happens per day or in a month you can tell how much harm is done to the environment per year.

Within the same area women and their donkeys pass by carrying many sacks of charcoal from the other side of the mountain from the Kenyan side. They snick them in through Tanzania and sell at an open market along the border line in Namanga town. One day as I walked to Namanga town, on my way were women with donkeys carrying charcoal. I had an opportunity of chatting with them as we walked. I asked whether there were any more trees where they come from because I saw women doing this for a long time. They said “yes, but not as many as before.” They arrive as from 10.00am in the morning and go back as from 3.00pm. It’s a cross border issue that needs a joint force between the two countries.

In these activities women are involved. They do that for survival. They have adapted to the kind of environment that they live in. It is quite sad that our people have to go through so much before something is ever done for them. We have developed a program that will help us train them in environmental management and help them engage in economic development activities that are more environmental friendly and sustainable. We will also involve various stake holders at all level on this issue.

Follow -ups on activities permitted by the government such as sand harvesting in different areas should be done for less destruction on the environment as other Institutions also support in action for climate change.

Women in Tanzania especially from the pastoralists communities need more training and economic support to take part in action for climate change. The many times we have discussed with them issues on climate change you can understand their need to have alternative livelihood practices to avoid what they are doing for their living. I appreciate that some effort was and is being made elsewhere but this needs to happen in all parts of Tanzania especially in Longido district, as in around the world.

We have reported these to the relevant authority but so far nothing has been done.