Challenges of access to clean water and healthy environment: An inter-link between huge investment projects and the surrounding local community in Tanzania

Abstract

This article is written with the intent of shading a light on the challenges that face the local communities surrounding the huge investment projects in Tanzania. The focus is on the access to social and economic rights specifically the rights to clean water and healthy environment. This article addresses the challenges that arise out of the failure to strike a balance on the access to the use of clean water and healthy environment between both the villagers and the investment projects. This issue is pertinent to be discussed now as there are a growing number of investment projects both from within and outside Tanzania. Such an alarming growth seemingly a heaven for the tax collectors is not the same to the local community around areas where the investment projects are located. This article shades a light on the legal aspects of the access to clean water and clean environment and the extent of access of the said basic rights. The discussion revolves around the question whether the investment projects and the local community are living in a symbiotic relation or one is prospering at the detriment of the other within the scope of the pointed rights.