Effect of domestic water supply on poverty in Kilolo district, Iringa Tanzania

Abstract

This study on “Effect of Domestic Water Supply on Poverty” was conducted in four villages of Kilolo District in Iringa Region. The overall objective of the study was to determine the effect of domestic water supply on poverty in Kilolo District. A cross- sectional design was adopted whereby purposive and simple random sampling methods were used to obtain 120 respondents, sixty each from water rich and water scarce villages. A structured questionnaire was used in data collection and checklist for collecting information from key informants. The collected data were statistically analyzed to obtain frequencies, means and percentages. The study findings show that only 37.5 % of sampled households were located within 400 metres to water sources. Households situated within 400 metres to water sources earned a mean annual income of 1 416 367 Tshs and those beyond 400 metres to water sources earned mean annual income of 910 307 Tshs. In water rich villages, during dry season women spent an average of 150 minutes per day on collecting domestic water while women from water scarce villages spent an average of 508 minutes per day. Long distance to water sources, unreliable water sources within the villages and lack of knowledge of rain water harvesting and storage techniques were identified by respondents as the major causes of insufficient domestic water supply. The study recommended that the district should include rain water harvesting plan as one of the strategies for improving water sources at village levels. Water supply systems should be developed at village levels by cost sharing basis between the government, communities and donors. For sustainable management of rural water supply systems, the government and agencies concerned should put emphasis on both technical and community building capacity. The approaches will contribute the efforts to meet the target of supplying domestic water to the majority of households within 400 metres.