Water resources

There are five broad categories of water use in Tanzania: domestic consumption (including home gardens), industry (including mining and coal-fired electricity generation), hydroelectric power generation, irrigated agriculture, and the maintenance of aquatic ecosystems. In addition, aquatic ecosystems like river and lake systems and wetlands process and dilute wastes, help with flood control, and provide for recreation, aesthetic satisfaction and religious rituals. In terms of water withdrawals, Tanzania uses almost all water resources for irrigation (89.5 %), 10.1% for domestic consumption, and much less for industry (0.4%). Water resources play a main role in the electricity supply of Tanzania, contributing about 50% to the total production (IEA 2006). Access to safe water has improved over the past decades covering a bit more than half of the population.