An assessment of local government’s responsiveness in the coordination and provision of water and sanitation services in Tanzania. The case of Biharamulo district

Abstract

This study focused on assessing Local governments’ responsiveness in the coordination and provision of water services and sanitation in Tanzania. The general objective of this study was to assess the factors for Local government’s responsiveness in the coordination and provision of water and sanitation services in Tanzania, a case of Biharamulo District Council (BDC). Following the scarcity of water and sanitation in the mentioned area, the researcher was interested to know the factors that limit LG in the provision of water services. Three research objectives were developed of which one examined the role of LG in coordinating water and sanitation services. The second objective attempted to measure the attitude and satisfaction of service users on the service provided, and the last objective aimed at identifying the challenges that face LG when providing water services. The study employed a case study design to answer these research objectives above. Both primary and secondary data collection techniques were used including interview and questionnaires. The sample consisted of 99 respondents from the population of 214. The findings of the study showed that shortage of financial resources, lack of water and sanitation experts, weak institutional framework, poor water and sanitation infrastructures, low level of education and negligence to some agents were the factors for LGs’ little responsiveness in coordinating and providing water and sanitation services in BDC. The findings further showed that poor participation from the community and population increase resulted to the scarcity of water service and sanitation. Based on the findings, the study recommends, inter alia, that there is a need to redefine the responsibilities of LG in water services because there are some contradictions. The central government should also provide enough funds and experts improve infrastructure and provide education and training to increase their capacity and hence make them more responsive and accountable