Water journeys: accessing safe drinking water in Tanzania

Project
The ESRC has awarded funding through the Scottish Graduate School for Social Science (SGSSS) for the completion of a PhD titled: ' Water journeys: accessing safe drinking water in Tanzania'. The main objectives of the PhD are:

To better understand the everyday realities of accessing sufficient, safe water in Tanzania.
To understand spatio-temporal changes in water quality in Tanzania.
To predict spatially, future access to safe and sufficient water in rural and urban areas.

Context of Research
In 2000, the UN set ambitious targets to drastically reduce the number of people living in extreme poverty. Relating the UN aspired to "halve, by 2015, the proportion of the population without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation" (UN, 2008). Compared to 1990 levels, 2.1 billion people across the world gained access to an improved water service. Globally, this target was met five years ahead of schedule, in 2010 (UN, 2015a).

In Tanzania, overall, between 1990 and 2015, access to an improved drinking water source improved from 54% to 56%. In urban areas this change was from 92% in 1990 to 77% in 2015 and in rural areas from 45% in 1990 to 46% in 2015 (UN, 2015b).

In 2015, the UN set further targets and the target relating to water is to "achieve universal and equitable access to safe, affordable drinking water for all" by 2030. In sub-Saharan Africa, Tanzania had the lowest improvement in access to water over the Millennium Development Goal period and therefore, for Tanzania, meeting this target will require significant effort (World Bank, 2018).

Outcomes
The outcomes of this research will be shared with decision makers so that where appropriate, policy can account for lessons learned and to ensure that it represents everybody in society and ensure those most vulnerable are not left behind. The outputs may also provide evidence and form a useful resource to inform NGOs of where the most vulnerable people live and how this may change over time. Individuals will also be more aware of the quality of their water so they can make informed decisions on their water source and treatment. Finally, the novel method developed by Dr Price (Price et al, 2019) may also influence current water quality monitoring methodology, making water quality and associated risks to health and society more visible to policy makers.

Ethical Issues
Before any research is initiated, advice will be sought from the supervisors to obtain ethical consent. Whilst completing the MScR at Edinburgh University, consent will be sought via the ethics panel at the University of Edinburgh and via the Commission for Science & Technology (COSTECH) in Tanzania before the fieldwork begins. Throughout the design and application of the research and methodologies, ESRC guidance on ethical principles will be sought and the ESRC Framework for Research Ethics will be consulted.

References
Price, H, Adams, E, Quilliam R S. (2019). The difference a day can make: The temporal dynamics of drinking water access and quality in urban slums?. Science of the Total Environment. 671 (1), p818-826.
UN (2008): 'Official List of MDG Indicators', PDF downloaded: 19/05/2019:
https://unstats.un.org/unsd/mdg/Resources/Attach/Indicators/OfficialList2008.pdf
UN (2015a): 'The Millennium Development Goals Report 2015', pg. 58-59, PDF downloaded: 19/05/2019: https://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/2015_MDG_Report/pdf/MDG%202015%20rev%20(July%201).pdf
UN (2015b): 'Millennium Development Goals Indicators: The official United Nations Site for the MDG Indicators, Data Accessed: 19/05/2019: https://millenniumindicators.un.org/unsd/mdg/Data.aspx
World Bank (2018): 'Reaching for the SDGs: The Untapped Potential of Tanzania's Water Supply, Sanitation, and Hygiene Sector.' WASH Poverty Diagnostic. World Bank, Washington, DC. Executive Summary, p xv-xxvii.