Servicing Small Towns in Tanzania: Towards Efficient and Effective Drinking Water Service Delivery Approaches

Background

Municipal service delivery has undergone massive process of restructuring in the past decades where by central governments are increasingly decentralizing their service delivery functions to lower tiers of government. However, most residents in small towns in Tanzania still notably under-served, a sizeable number of people do not yet have access to basic municipal services especially drinking water service. There have been researches on municipal services delivery approaches which were undertaken mostly at the city and village level. Not much research has been done on genuine topics of efficient and effective approaches of drinking water services delivery in Tanzania small Towns. Due to the reason that scholars and policy makers rarely considered small towns as a specific type of urban centers to which concepts, theories and strategies developed for cities and villages that lack reflection on the actual dynamism in small towns are applied and yet not considered as clearly urban, neither as clearly rural areas.

The study

Hence, it has been important to employ this study in order to study and explore efficient and effective approaches of drinking water service delivery in Tanzania small towns. Using a case of a vibrant small Towns in Tanzania (Mkata and Kabuku small towns in Handeni District), the main research aim at addressing the following research questions; what are the main institutional characteristics with regard to drinking water, services delivery, and what are the factors that constrain the realization of service delivery? How does drinking water services provided in small town? Who are the providers of drinking water services and their perception and capacity? How are the power relations between and within the providers? ; And what are the constraints and differences between the providers? What are the policy implications based on the research findings?

A framework recommended will provide knowledge for policy analysts and decision makers in their effort to formulate policies and make decision on how effective and efficient drinking water services should be provided in small towns, which ultimate contribute towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goal 7 target C which have specific goals and targets on increasing water access for all.

Means of Transporting Water, Non Functioning Water Points, Unsafe Source of Water in Mkata. Photos: Happiness Jacob Mlula.