Tanzania has one of the world’s most inadequate human waste management systems, with the vast majority of people lacking decent toilets, according to surveys by some local and international organisations.Sewage disposal has not undergone meaningful development since 1999, leading to an alarming increase in the number of people answering the call of nature in the open.The organisations say the number of people lacking adequate sanitation is expected to increase further in the next four to five years.
According to the Geneva-based Water Supply & Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSC), sanitation facilities are not considered to be of an acceptable standard when shared with other households, or open for public use.
The Latrine Construction Guide issued by the Health and Social Welfare ministry in 2009 says a latrine of acceptable standards should have an impervious floor, wall height at least 1.8 metres, a roof and door.

It is estimated that 76 per cent of the country’s population still has no reliable access to sanitation facilities that hygienically separate human waste from the environment, including people’s dwellings. That translates to between 30 million and 33 million Tanzanians resorting to unhygienic sanitation facilities such as bucket latrines, public or shared toilets and open pit latrines.

The government admits that sanitation is inadequate and has outlined a number of strategies to reverse the trend by nearly 50 per cent by 2015. On the other hand, independent hygiene experts say there are huge disparities in access among urban and rural dwellers and nomadic communities, in which sanitation stands at 12 per cent. Read More

(Source: By Sylivester Ernest; The Daily Citizen)