Understanding the Impact of Water Accessibility and Sanitation-Related Diseases on Livelihoods in Tanzania

Abstract

Water is an important resource for improved sanitation and livelihood due to its multiple uses and impacts on household income. Despite its significance, most households in developing countries, including Tanzania, have been facing difficulty accessing this resource, whose effects are seen in health and general household welfare. In bringing that into light, the current study investigates the interplay of water accessibility, sanitation-related diseases, and livelihood among households in Tanzania by employing the probit regression and the Ordinary least squares models using Household Budget Survey data of 2017/18. Findings showed that urban households (0.111, p<0.01), age (-0.305, p<0.05), household size (0.159, p<0.01), education level, water cost (-0.249, p<0.01), and employment (0.166, p<0.01) influence water accessibility. Moreover, variables like secondary education, college education and water costs were also found to influence household sanitation status. Conversely, the study found that water accessibility and sanitation-related disease influence household livelihood significantly at 0.167 (p<0.01) and -0.649 (p<0.1). Conclusively, neglecting the urban gap would continually worsen the welfare of the people living in rural areas. Furthermore, the study recommends that programs to enhance water accessibility should go hand in hand with health promotion programs, especially in rural areas where water accessibility is poor, and most people are characterised as having low income.