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For residents of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, the daily quest for clean water has become a grueling ordeal. A combination of factors — aging pipes, persistent leaks, and a booming population — has pushed the city’s water infrastructure to a breaking point. The result: a crippling water shortage that forces residents into impossible choices.
Fatuma Mchome starts her day long before sunrise, her bare feet shuffling through the dust as she joins a long queue to fetch water. “You have to be the first one in line,” said Mchome, balancing a bright yellow jerry can on her hip. “If you come late, you might go home with nothing.”
For the 33-year-old mother of four living in the densely packed Tandale slum, the search for water is a daily struggle. Water scarcity in this impoverished neighbourhood is a shared burden for many residents. The taps are often dry, and the local water vendor’s cart, piled high with plastic containers, becomes the last resort. “It’s too costly, but what choice do we have?” Mchome asks.
Nearby, John Nyondo, a father of four, shakes his head as he talks about his family’s worsening plight. “The water we get is not even clean,” he said, holding up a murky, brownish sample. “But we have to use it for everything — cooking, washing, drinking.”
The shortage of clean water has serious implications for the health of Tandale residents. Children frequently contract diarrhoea, putting additional strain on already overburdened health services. “It’s a vicious cycle,” said Aisha Mbasha, a community health worker in Tandale. “People get sick because they don’t have clean water, and then they can’t afford to get treated.”
The crisis in Tandale reflects broader issues plaguing Dar es Salaam’s water supply, riddled with ageing infrastructure, broken pipes, and outdated systems. These problems are exacerbated by sabotage and vandalism of the water distribution network. Despite the dire need, efforts to upgrade and repair the city’s water infrastructure are often slow and insufficient due to inadequate funding.
The cost of this crisis is starkly visible in Tandale. In a dimly lit shack, Maria Kasanga tends to her elderly mother. “She is too frail to walk to the water points,” Kasanga explains, gently wiping her mother’s forehead with a damp cloth. “So I have to do it for her, even if it means missing work.”
Kasanga’s struggle highlights the daily sacrifices made by many residents. Missing work means losing a day’s wages — money that could have been used to buy food or medicine. “It’s a constant juggling act,” she said. “We have to choose between water and other necessities.”
For children like 12-year-old Samuel, the water crisis affects their education. “I often have to skip school to help my mother fetch water,” he said. “I want to study and become a doctor one day, but it’s hard when you have to worry about water.”
Campaigners urge the government to end the crisis. “This is not just a technical issue — it’s a human rights issue,” said Linda Mushi, a water rights activist. “The government must urgently solve this problem.”
While the Dar es Salaam Water and Sanitation Authority (DAWASA) has recently unveiled multiple initiatives to address the city’s water crisis, there’s no end in sight for Tandale residents. Local residents in this impoverished neighbourhood are increasingly angered by what they describe as empty promises. “We have been waiting in vain for years, but the water situation has not improved,” said Nyondo. “We need real action, not just words.”
As one of Africa’s fastest-growing cities, Dar es Salaam is grappling with rapid urban sprawl. With its population now exceeding six million, the city’s ageing water infrastructure is buckling under the pressure.
This strain on resources highlights the city’s infrastructural challenges and underscores the broader implications of unchecked urban growth. Decades-old pipes leak profusely, and frequent power outages cripple pumping stations, leaving vast swathes of the city without a reliable water supply.
The city's water demand far outstrips supply, leading to frequent shortages and rationing. Moreover, rapid urbanisation and population growth have strained the existing water resources, pushing the city’s water management systems to the brink.
For 42-year-old Hadija Mbwana, who sells charcoal to earn a living, the water shortage presents a difficult moral dilemma: Her children must choose between drinking murky water and risking illness or suffering from extreme thirst. “I cannot afford to buy piped water. Groundwater is cheaper, but it’s dirty, smelly, and too salty to drink,” she said
Herbert Kashililah, a water expert and chairman of the Tanzania Water & Sanitation Network, said the city’s old pipelines were riddled with leaks and illegal connections. “We must modernise this infrastructure by replacing old pipes, building new reservoirs, and upgrading treatment plants to ensure water quality and reliability,” he said
Kashililah also stressed the importance of better management and regulation of water resources to reduce corruption and ensure that water reaches those who need it most. He also highlighted the role of community involvement in addressing the water crisis. "Communities must be part of the solution. Public awareness campaigns can educate people on the importance of storing water and how they can reduce wastage,” he explained.
He also brought up rainwater harvesting as a supplementary solution. “By encouraging households and businesses to collect and store rainwater, we can significantly reduce the strain on the city’s main water supply,” the expert underlined.
The government has announced a series of measures to address the water shortage. Plans are underway to rehabilitate and expand the city’s water infrastructure, crack down on sabotage, and increase water supply from alternative sources.
Speaking with this reporter, Mkama Bwire, DAWASA’s acting chief executive officer, vowed to end the worsening plight of water consumers in the bustling city. “We are aware of the water crisis and are committed to devising short-term and long-term solutions to solve this issue,” he said.
DAWASA is implementing various initiatives to boost the capacity of existing water treatment plants by increasing their output by an additional 196 million litres per day, Bwire said. The agency is also planning to drill new boreholes in strategic locations to provide a crucial buffer during periods of high consumption and low supply.
“We are targeting areas that are currently underserved to ensure equitable water distribution,” he said. DAWASA is also revitalising its distribution network by replacing ageing pipes to reduce water loss. “Our goal is to reduce water loss from 47 per cent to less than 20 per cent over the next five years,” he said.
Tanzania’s Minister for Water, Jumaa Aweso, recently inspected DAWASA’s production plants, revealing deliberate damage that has worsened water scarcity in the city.
The government has invested in machinery capable of producing 590 million litres of water daily, but due to inefficiencies, they’re currently producing 320 million litres daily, leaving a shortfall of 270 million litres, according to Aweso.
Government data shows that DAWASA sells 210 million litres daily but loses 110 million. Aweso has also promised to tackle these inefficiencies as part of the government’s broader strategy to improve water access in Dar es Salaam.
However, these improvements are still in their early stages, and residents such as Mchome remain sceptical of any real results. “I don’t think the situation will change anytime soon,” she said.
