Septic tank-soakpit systems in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

This paper discusses the impact of septic tank-soakpit systems widely used on the shallow un-confined aquifer at Sinza ward in the city of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Sinza is a hot climate, high-density area with household plots of limited area. From investigations on the shallow aquifer at Sinza, the ground water was observed to have the same quality as the septic-tank effluent, thus indicating that the ground water was heavily contaminated by the septic effluent. This suggests that the septic tank-soakpit systems failed to sufficiently treat the domestic wastewater effluent.