Tanzania - Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Project : environmental assessment (Vol. 2 of 4) : Rufiji District

E492 Vol. 2 UNITED REPUBLIC OF TANZANIA MINISTRY OF WATER & LIVESTOCK DEVELOPMENT Environmental Assessment (EA) Report for Rural Water Supply & Sanitation Project (RWSSP) RUFIJI DISTRICT March 2001 A.M.L. AKO Senior Associate Consultant (Environment & Natural Resource) SERVICEPLAN LTD P.O. Box 33165, Dar Es Salaam. Tel: 72394 Fax:2700133 E-mail: Serviceplan @ ud. co.tz FILE COPY  TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF ABREVIATIONS & ACRONYMS .............................. III EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ...............................V 1.0 INTRODUCTION .1 1.1 General .1 1.2 The Study Area .1 1.3 Purpose and Objectives of The Study .2 1.4 Scope and Limitations .3 1.5 General Approach & Methodology .3 1.5.1 General Approach .3 1.5.2 Methodology .4 2.0 POLICY, LEGISLATION, INSTITUTIONAL & REGULATORY FRAMEWORK .6 2.1 Policy .6 2.2 Legislation in Tanzania .9 2.3 International Treaties & Agreements .15 2.4 Standards Governing Water Quality .18 2.5 EA Requirements and GOT Capacity to handle EIA .21 2.6 Institutional Needs and Capability .25 3.0 PROJECT DESCRIPTION .28 4.0 BIOPHYSICAL AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT .32 4.1 BIOPHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT .32 4.2 SOCIO-ECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT .36 5.0 POTENTIAL COMMUNITY SUB-PRPJECTS AND THEIR ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS .40 5.1 Potential Community Sub-Projects .40 5.2 Environmental Impacts .40 6.0 MITIGATION AND TRAINING PLAN .43  6.1 Mitigation Plan .............. 43 6.2 Training Plan .............. 45 7.0 ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND CHECKLIST OF MONITORING INDICATORS .............. 49 7.1 Monitoring Plan .............. ERROR! BOOKMARK NOT DEFINED. 7.2 Monitoring Indicators .............. ERROR! BOOKMARK NOT DEFINED. LIST OF TABLES TABLE 1: EA CHECKLIST FOR COMMUNITY SUB-PROJECTS .......................... 42 TABLE 2: PROPOSED MITIGATION PLANS ......................................................... 43 TABLE 3: PROPOSED TRAINING PLAN ......................................................... 48 TABLE 4: CHECKLIST OF MONITORING INDICATORS ...................................... 50 LIST OF MAPS FIG 1: THE MAP OF RUFIJI DISTRICT -RURAL ROADS AND VILLAGE CENTRES ..........................................................5 FIG. 2: MAP OF RUFIJI DISTRICT-AGRO-ECONOMIC ZONES .......................... 31 FIG. 3: THE MAP OF RUFIJI DISTRICT-LAND USE AND VEGETATION COVER ........................................................ 39 LIST OF APPENDICES APPENDIX I: REFERENCES .52 APPENDIX 11: SUMMARY OF VILLAGE BASELINE INFORMATION. 55 APPENDIX III: WATER SUPPLY STATUS FOR TEN SELECTED VILLAGES OF RUFIJI DISTRICT .68 APPENDIX IV: WATER QUALITY DATA FOR SOME SELECTED VILLAGES OF RUFIJI DISTRICT .69 APPENDIX V: LIST OF AUTHORITIES CONTACTED DURING THE STUDY.. 74 APPENDIX VII: TERMS OF REFERENCE .75 APPENDIX VII: THE NAMES OF CONSULTANT'S TEAM MEMBERS AND THEIR RESPONSIBILITIES .77 APPENDIX VIII THE CONSULTANT'S CURRICULUM VITAE .78 ii  LIST OF ABREVIATIONS & ACRONYMS AfDB = African Development Bank AIDS = Acquired Immunity Deficiency Syndrome ASPS = Agricultural Sector Programme Support BAT = Best Affordable Technology BWB = Basin Water Board CBOs = Community Based Organisations CDOs = Community Development Officers CITES = Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna & Flora CSPD = Child Survival Programme Development CWB = Central Water Board DAWASA = Dar Es Salaam Water & Sewerage Authority DAWASA = Dar Es Salaam Water & Sewerage Authority DCs = District Councils DECs = District Environment Committees DED = District Executive Director DRDP = District Road Development Project DWE = District Water Engineer DWR = Division of Water Resource DWSP = District Water & Sanitation Plan DWSSSF = District Water Supply & Sanitation Fund DWST = District Water & Sanitation Team EA = Environmental Assessment EC = European Community EEC = European Economic Commission EIA = Environmental Impact Assessment EIS = Environmental Impact Statement EMP = Environmental Management Plan ESAs = External Suppcrt Agencies EU = European Union FAO = Food & Agricultural Organisation GOT = Government of Tanzania HIV = Human Immune Virus IDA = International Development Association IIED = International Institute for Environment & Development IRA = Institute of Resource Assessment IUCN = International Union for Conservation of Nature MCH = Mother & Child Health MECCO = Mwananchi Engineering Construction Company MEM = Ministry of Energy & Minerals MOEC = Ministry of Education & Culture MOH = Ministry of Health MOW = Ministry of Water MWLD = Ministry of Water & Livestock Development MTNRE = Ministry of Tourism, Natural Resource & Environment NCSSD = National Conservation Strategy for Sustainable Development NEAP = National Environrnent Action Plan NEMC = National Environrment Management Council NEP = National Environmnent Policy NGOs = Non-Governmental Organisations NMB = National Micro-Finance Bank NSPCA = Norwegian Stab Pollution Control Authority iii  NUWA = National UrbanWater Authority NUWA National Urban Water Authority NWP = National Water Policy NWRC = National Water Resource Commission NWRMP = National Water Resource Management Policy O&M = Operation & Maintenance PID = Project Information Document PO = Partner Organisation PWO = Public Water Office RBWO = River Basin Water Office REMP = Rufiji Environmental Management Plan RWD = Rural Water Division RWE = Regional Water Engineer RWSS = Rural Water Supply & Sanitation RWSSM = Rural Water Supply & Sanitation Management RWSSP = Rural Water Supply & Sanitation Project SCAPA = Soil Conservation & Agroforestry Programme SECAP = Soil Erosion Control & Agroforestry Programme STD = Sexually Transmitted Disease TAC = Technical Advisory Committee TAC = Technical Advisory Committee TANAPA = Tanzania National Parks TASAF = Tanzania Social Action Fund TBS = Tanzania Bureau of Standards ToR = Terms of Reference UN = United Nations UNCLOS = United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea UNEP = United Nations Environment Programme UNESCO = United Nations Education, Scientific & Cultural Organisabon UNICEF = United Nations Children Fund VC = Village Chairman VEO = Village Executive Officer VIP = Ventilated Improved Pit latrine VWCs = Village Water Committees VWSS = Village Water Supply &Sanitation WATSAN = Water & Sanitabon WBO = Water Basin Office WEO = Ward Executive Officer WHO = World Health Organisation WLU = Water Laboratory Unit WRM = Water Resource Management iv  EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1.0 Purpose and Scope of the Project The intention of the project is to improve water supply, sanitation & hygiene conditions for the rural communities of Rufiji district. The district is located about 200 km from Dar Es Salaam City, on the southern part of Tanzania. The project will involve rehabilitation and construction of new water supply schemes in villages and a number of small towns in the district. However, during the project implementation attention will be given to sanitation, hygiene and environmental concerns. The project will also focus on community health, especially promotion of AIDS/HIV prevention among the rural people through awareness creation and campaigns. 2.0 Rationale and Methodology for Conducting Environmental Assessment (a) Rationale for Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) In this project, environmental assessment (EA) study has been found necessary in order to incorporate environmental issues in the project design. The aim is to sensitize and create awareness among the rural communities on environmental matters related to water supply & sanitation schemes. The EIA is considered necessary by the Government of Tanzania (GOT) and the World Bank to facilitate decision-making process and to ensure that development projects are environmentally sound and sustainable. The project has been subjected to environmental screening and considered Category B as per the World Bank's Operational Directives (OD) 4.00 and its Annexes. Although the project is expected to have some positive environmental & social impacts (benefits) some environmental analysis will be needed to identify any possible negative impacts and propose appropriate mitigation measures. In Tanzania EIA is required as a tool for environmental management, especially at project specific levels. The objective for carrying out EIA is to integrate environmental management and economic decisions at earliest stages of project planning. The EIA also provides an opportunity for involving the public, project proponents, private sector and government agencies in the assessment and review of proposed project. However, the project has not yet identified specific sites for implementation of its components, and therefore cannot be strictly assessed under the existing Tanzania EIA procedure. Instead, the assessment follows a more general approach that incorporates an overall assessment of programme interventions. v  (b) Methodology The methodology involved both desk work and field surveys. During the fieldwork, the Consultant carried out field observations, informal & formal interviews, and discussions/meetings with community members including their leaders, as well as, various authorities at district and national levels. This provided opportunities to stimulate the concerns of various stakeholders, as well as, solicit their opinion on the mitigation measures. The Consultant also used specially designed biophysical and socio-economic survey forms for baseline data collection. Again, whenever necessary water samples were also collected for laboratory analysis. 3.0 MAIN FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 3.1 State of the Environment 3.1.1 Vegetation cover There is no significant land degradation in most parts of the district due to low population growth and few agricultural activities. However, bush fires, shifting cultivation, tree felling, fuel wood collection and charcoal burning are common practices associated with land degradation in the district. Although there is no significant environmental conservation being undertaken in the district in recent years, the Rufiji Environmental Management Project (REMP) has been initiated by IUCN. The programme is mainly concerned with creating environmental awareness and education among the local people. However, the programme is focused mainly on mangrove conservation in the Rufiji delta. 3.3.2 Air Quality Frequent bush fires and fuel wood burning are the major source of air pollution in the rural areas. These sources usually produce smoke containing CO & CO2 However, construction activities is not expected to have significant contribution to air pollution due to limited number of equipment and vehicles used on-site. 3.3.3 Ground water potential The ground water availability is controlled by hydro-geological characteristics of the project area. The recharge rates are estimated between 4-5 [/s in lowland and 1-4 [Is on upper areas during dry seasons. However, in the southwestern part of the district the re-charge rate is relatively lower (0-1 [Is). Ground water over-extraction can be one of the possible impact from the project. However, the impact is not expected to occur due to small volume of water extracted for domestic purpose. Moreover, the number of boreholes vi  per unit area will be limited and ground water monitoring systems installed to monitor seasonal fluctuations in water levels. 3.3.4 Water Quality (a) Ground water The assessment of ground water quality indicates most of the boreholes and shallow wells contain saline water. The salinity levels usually increase during dry seasons. However, no bacteriological contamination has been found in water from boreholes. Nevertheless, it will be important to conduct water quality analysis for all boreholes and shallow wells to ensure that there are no bacteriological contaminants. Again, improper location of well sites in relation to pit latrines, burial sites could be another potential source of ground water pollution. Site investigation should be done to carefully locate well sites by maintaining a distance of not less than 50 m from pit latrines or burial sites. The boundaries of well sites should be demarcated and fenced off to avoid encroachment by human settlements and other activities. The local communities should be actively involved in well siting. (b) Surface water The quality of surface waters is generally poor due to human activities and trampling by wild animals. Although no laboratory analysis has been done for surface waters bacteriological contamination cannot be over-ruled due to high incidence of water borne diseases in the project area. However, the quality of surface waters can be improved through filtration or sedimentation and boiling. 3.3.5 Sanitation & Hygiene The majority of households in the project area have unlined open roofed pit latrines with walls made up of coconut leaves. The pit latrines are not durable and pose a threat to human life as they usually collapse and overflow, especially during rainfalls. Sometimes people use pit latrines as bathrooms. However, other households do not have pit latrines at all and usually help themselves in a nearby bush, hence increasing chances of disease transmission. Most of the households do not have wastewater disposal facilities and do not boil drinking water or wash their hands. Lack of adequate water supply, ignorance and taboo has been claimed to be one of the main reasons for not boiling drinking water. Because of the prevailing conditions, water borne and sanitary related diseases are very common in the project area. vii  3.2 Policy, Legislation, Regulatory & Institutional Framework 3.2.1 Policy The relevant policies that support EA requirements for Tanzania is the National Environment Policy (NEP) and the National Water policy (NWP) formulated in 1997 and 2000, respectively. Both policies recognize the importance of incorporating environmental consideration in sectoral policies and programs. They also state that EIA should be carried out for all major development projects before their commencement and emphasize formulation of guidelines & specific criteria for conducting EIA. However, findings indicate that: * There is no comprehensive legislation to support NEP implementation in the country. * The NWP does not clearly state environmental awareness & education in its policy objective, especially in relation to rural water supply & sanitation.