TITLE:
From Msimbazi River Valley to Mabwepande Settlement: The Resettlement Process and Its Challenges
AUTHORS:
Regina John, Fredrick Bwire Magina, Emmanuel Fares Kemwita
KEYWORDS:
Resettlement, Flood Prone Areas, Msimbazi River Valley, Mabwepande
JOURNAL NAME:
Current Urban Studies,
Vol.7 No.3,
September
19,
2019
ABSTRACT: The paper documents the resettlement process undertaken following the
2011 heavy rains in Dar es Salaam City, which
adversely affected many people who lived in flood prone areas particularly in
and along Msimbazi river valley. Within the resettlement process, challenges
which were encountered by different actors during the resettlement process were
investigated. With the use of qualitative and quantitative data, the paper
shows that the resettlement of households from Msimbazi River Valley to
Mabwepande followed a number of steps decided during the process with no
pre-determined guidelines. The process largely centred around identifying those
to be resettled, relocating them to the resettlement area and issuing alternative plots. The physical, economic, social,
cultural and environmental dimensions of resettlement were less coherent in the
process. Subsequently, the process resulted into both negative and positive
outcomes, which are persistent until today. These include poor housing
conditions, disruption of economic and income generating activities, unreliable
social and technical infrastructure services, inability and or reluctance to
develop the new plots and low living standards. However, high level of tenure
security and certainty of being free from flood risk are some positive outcomes
of the resettlement. The paper argues that the implementation of resettlement
projects with no well-articulated process that takes care of the environmental,
spatial, economic and social needs of the resettled population obscures the
outcomes of the project. It therefore calls for caution when planning and
implementing disaster led resettlement projects that necessary steps
ought to be carried out to protect and enhance the wellbeing and livelihoods of
those resettled apart from issuing alternative parcels of land.