24 Dar Es Salaam: The Development of Water Supply and Sewage Systems Marianne Kjellén and Alphonce Kyessi INTRODUCTION Dar es Salaam, on the shore of the Indian Ocean, has grown from scattered villages in the mid-1800s to a major city-region at the beginning of the twenty-first century (Briggs and Mwamfupe, 2000). Although rela- tively well serviced compared to other urban centers in Tanzania, Dar es Salaam’s economic development and people’s welfare have been hampered by incomplete and unreliable water supply and a lack of sani- tation services. Rapid population growth and its spatial consequences such as urban sprawl and expansion of informal settlements, combined with too little and unbalanced investments, insufficient maintenance, and weak institutional coordination, have exacerbated the effects of the underlying problem of urban poverty (Kombe and Kreibich, 2000; Lupala, 2010). The first section of this chapter sketches the relatively young city’s history, with its rapid growth and hydrological challenges. The second section outlines the development of its water supply to date, with regard to network and institutional development. The third section discusses the consequences of the incomplete coverage of the piped water services, and the alternatives developed by the people in order to access water. The fourth section outlines the development of the still very small sewerage system and sketches the general situation with regard to sanitation. The conclusions section sums up the salient features of Dar es Salaam’s unful- filled water supply and sanitation or sewerage development. URBAN DEVELOPMENT HISTORY The natural harbor of Dar es Salaam had been known of for centuries, as the East African coast formed part of the Arabic trading network along the Indian Ocean (Iliffe, 1979). Although founded by the Sultan of Zanzibar in 1862, the shift in trading routes from Bagamoyo to Dar es Salaam was 550-574 WaterUrban Pt3 Ch24 Kjellen.indd 550 29/11/2013 10:18