Water at Mti Mmoja

Mti Mmoja is a Maasai village situated on the main Arusha-Dodoma road and the primary school is just off the main road at the end of a 200 metre track. Mti Mmoja Primary School was part of the environmental project we were running and also a participant in the Primary Schools Assistance Project.

Whenever we discussed tree planting in any of our project areas, one of the first concerns that was mentioned was water and the associated problems of tree survival and water availability.

Waterhole at Mti Mmoja

The only water source at Mti Mmoja was from the water holes created when the main road was being built. The holes had been excavated to obtain hard fill in the roading process and it was a matter of luck, that the holes actually held water after the rains.

These water holes serve also as livestock watering holes, and cattle, goats and donkeys wade into the water to drink, of course defecating and urinating at the same time. The animals stir up the bottom of the waterhole as well, which makes the base a porridge of stinking liquid especially when the the ponds begin to dry out! They are not so bad just after the rains, but as the drought sets in the water becomes a toxic broth. It was also a home for malaria carrying mosquitoes!

The village people, including the school children have no choice but to use this water for all their domestic uses - yes drinking and cooking, as well as bathing and washing clothes! There is just no other water source.

It is not surprising therefore, that it is difficult to attract school teachers to the area (this is a problem throughout rural Tanzania) so teachers tended to be either from the village, or were very dedicated, or perhaps the other extreme! But the situation is a major constraint to the kids' overall education.
The Head Teacher at Mti Mmoja was a dedicated woman who had the welfare of her students at heart and plainly pointed out the water problems to us.

It had become a habit to always carry two twenty litre containers of water in my vehicle and each time I passed Mti Mmoja, I would give the water to the teachers to make palatable chai (tea). This was always greatly appreciated and we built a bond of friendship there.

Behind the school were some concrete 'domes' and one day the Head Teacher took us there. They were actually huge underground water tanks! Apparently some forty years ago, Canadians were growing large areas wheat in the area. This was before the Maasai had settled there and Nyerere's villagisation programme (Ujamaa). The Canadians had recognised the water problems and had solved the problem for themselves by building the tanks (4 million litres each) with a large concrete pad as a catchment area to collect and channel rainwater into the tanks.

The domed top if the tanks.

Of course we were asked if we could help to refurbish the tanks, and after a thorough inspection, I agreed to write up a proposal to apply for funds. The tanks were in remarkably good condition and the village chairman had the hand pump stored away safely. The channeling was in good order, but the concrete catchment area was in poor condition because cattle had camped on it for many years and had broken it up. But to refurbish it would not be too costly, and I obtained a good price for crushed concreting gravel from a nearby quarry. The area would need to be fenced to keep livestock out.

NZHC approved the proposal and we were ready to start operations when, as I drove down the Sanawari road, I was flagged down by a man driving a vehicle with a major international aid organisation's logo on the door. He asked me about Mti Mmoja water tanks and told me that his organisation were prepared to become involved.

We met and this man told me that the organisation had the funds and the ability to carry out the whole project. I knew that NZHC preferred not to be involved in joint projects and on checking that was confirmed.  I was busy enough in our own projects, so after informing the village authorities of Mti Mmoja, I advised NZHC that because of the circumstances, we no longer required the funds. I felt confident the people of Mti Mmoja would get their water.

Repairs on the catchment area began with the delivery of a load of crushed rock and four bags of cement - only four bags!. Nothing else happened! I continued to visit there regularly, and one day the Head Teacher sadly told me that she thought the organisation had 'eaten' the money for the refurbishment. [the eaten term is the colloquial way showing corruption or waste].

To my knowledge, sadly, the tanks remain disused and the Mti Mmjoa people continue to suffer from a polluted water source.
Perhaps one day, I will find some funds and return there to fix the problem!