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Wesleyan University

Publication Date

Fall 2009

Program Name

Tanzania: Wildlife Conservation and Political Ecology

Abstract

This study looked at the current water situation in the community of Shirati Tanzania. It took place from November 7th – 27th 2009. My sample frame was the villages in the Roche District of the Mara Region in northeastern Tanzania. My sample populations consisted of residents of three villages – Mukoma, Nyamagongo, and Shirati-Sota. I applied a four prong approach to my data collection: 1) Eight Key Informant Interviews with three local village leaders and two medical officers of the local hospital and dispensary, two water engineers and one long time resident; 2) Ninety randomly selected surveys, 30 in each village; 3) GPS mapped water points (n = 157) in the three villages; and 4) Conducted three focal groups one per village. I analyzed my data using mapping techniques and descriptive statistics. Results for the overall distribution of water points showed the following patterns: high concentrations of water collection sites in the village of Mukoma, an absence of sites in Shirati-Sota, and a relatively high concentration of natural water points in Nyamagongo. The data was also analyzed using seasonality, functionally, and protection. The semi-structured interviews mainly focused on issues of cost and showed marked differences between the villages. Economic situation and geographic distance from the lake were the correlations in these differences. Town hall meetings looked at place specific differences in feasibility. Residents of Mukoma supported the government water system, and respondents in the two rural villages were in favor of community-based projects. These findings will be used to garner funds to return to the area to continue this feasibility study.

Disciplines

Environmental Indicators and Impact Assessment

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