Geoscience Reference
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change was established in 2007 (NAPA 2007); the new National Climate Change
Strategy (2012) institutes a national steering committee and highlights a set of
adaptation measures that might be taken across different sectors. However,
neither the old nor the new strategy provides guidance for urban adaptation,
beyond some general suggestions as to what is required regarding improving
urban human settlements and enforcement of land-use zoning, and possible
relocation of flood-affected communities (Kiunsi 2013). As adaptation is located
with the Ministry of the Environment, which has limited field staff at a lower
level, adaption for all practical purposes does not appear well integrated in policy
or practice at local levels. For example, environmental staff at state or municipal
levels is either not in place, or awareness about climate change adaptation is
low, as shown by our interviews. Climate change is perceived as a distant threat
mostly related to (global) mitigation issues (Kiunsi 2013). With the assistance of
CLUVA researchers, the municipality has, however, recently shown interest in
developing a city Climate Action Plan.
Disaster-risk management
as a formal policy sector is older and more firmly
established than climate change adaptation. The agenda is vested with the
Department of Disaster Management in the Prime Minister's Office. The
department has only nine staff members to cover the whole nation, and is located
within the city. A Disaster Relief Coordination Act was prepared in 1990/1991
(Becker 2011). The most recent national strategy on disaster-risk management
(DRM) was approved in 2004, inspired by the process related to signing of the
Hyogo Framework of Action (2005). Most actions in both domains have been
pioneered from the Vice President's Office and Prime Minister's Office and
lack coordination in practice between the Commissioner level and Municipal
Directors, as became evident with emergency operations during extreme
flooding in 2011 (according to several interviewees, e.g. interview with ward
representative, September 2012, and our own observations). The emergency
response during the 2011 flood in Suna relied heavily on assistance from the
Red Cross country office located in Dar es Salaam. '…the military and the
police were called upon and were present during the event. [but] they did not
have the required operational equipment such as life jackets, vehicles, blankets,
first aid. They only contributed human resources'; further, 'officials at the ward
level during the flood were mostly confused and did not help much' (interview
with Red Cross official, 5 June 2012).
Urban planning - market-led expansion of informal
settlements
Flood-risk issues have not been well integrated in urban planning in the
case-study areas, and land-use planning is conducted with little active local
involvement (Vedeld et al. 2012; Kombe and Kreibich 2006; Keyssi 2002). Our
fieldwork shows that public officials to limited degree encourage active citizen
inputs into local development planning, land-use planning and coordination
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