Spatial planning and water demand management in urban Tanzania

Abstract

Concerns with respect to available water to support people and the environment are on the increase amidst a growing imbalance between water demand and supply. According to Un-Habitat the world population with insufficient water to cater for their human and environmental needs will increase to 35% in 2025. Tanzania will join this group in the same year. And because of these trends efforts are needed not only to conserve water but also to manage the demand and bring water use to sustainable levels. This paper is about the role that spatial planning can play in improving water demand management (WDM) at urban level. Applying spatial planning concepts and design principles that are sensitive to water management, it is possible to reduce the water requirement at urban level. By analyzing two urban master plans and other relevant documents, the paper shows that potentials for spatial planning to positively contribute in water demand management have not been fully utilized. The main recommendation is that spatial planners should perceive the city as a water user and target efforts towards changing her water use behaviour in order to cope with the available water and reduce the need to exploit new water sources. Just like a human being can be mobilized to reduce water use, a city can be organized through spatial planning to demand and use less water.

Keywords: water demand management, water requirements, water supply system, spatial planning, land use zoning, settlement pattern