Central Tanzania Research Articles

Vulnerability Assessment of the Livelihoods in Tanzania’s Semi-Arid Agro-Ecological Zone under Climate Change Scenarios

Despite the established literature on the vulnerability to climate change in various parts of Tanzania, it is worthwhile to assess the extent of this vulnerability of the peoples’ livelihoods and predict its future outcome. This is particularly important in the vulnerable ecosystems, that is, the semi-arid zones of Tanzania where the people’s livelihoods are highly attached to the declining local condition. The present study aims to assess the livelihoods vulnerability in Kongwa District, the semi-arid zone of Central Tanzania. In doing so, a wide range of methods were employed during data collection and analyses including surveys, informative interviews, discussions and observation. The study sampled 400 (≤10%) respondents during a survey. The Mann-Kendall Test with SPSS V20, Microsoft Excel and Theme content techniques were used for data analyses. The results indicate that climate stress has adversely impacted the quality of soil, vegetation, crop yields and intensified environmental degradation. Since most people depend upon the mentioned affected aspects, it is expected that also the level of livelihood vulnerability has elevated. Further, this situation has greatly contributed to increased poverty and thus, propagates the “tragedy of the common” to the available environmental resources. As a response to increased vulnerability, some farmers have abandoned thousands of hectares of agricultural farms that seemed to be less productive. Despite this, slight measures have been taken by both the government and other key stakeholders to limit vulnerability. The findings of this study provide a theoretical and practical basis for coordinating a sustainable man-environment relationship, ensuring the sustainability of the environment which is the major source of peoples’ livelihoods.

Tracing Improving Livelihoods in Rural Africa Using Local Measures of Wealth: A Case Study from Central Tanzania, 1991–2016

We studied livelihood changes and poverty dynamics over a 25-year period in two villages in central Tanzania. The villages were, from the early 1990s and 2000s, strikingly poor with between 50% and 55% of families in the poorest wealth groups. 25 years later much has changed: people have become substantially wealthier, with 64% and 71% in the middle wealth groups. The new wealth had been generated locally, from farming, particularly of sunflowers as a cash crop. This goes against a conventional view of small-scale farming in Tanzania as being stagnant or unproductive. The area of land farmed per family has increased, almost doubling in one village. People have made money, which they invest in mechanised farming, improved housing, education of their children, livestock, and consumer goods. Improved infrastructure and local entrepreneurs have played key roles in the area’s transformation. Locally identified wealth rankings showed that most villagers, those in the middle wealth groups and above, can now support themselves from their land, which is a notable change to a time when 71% and 82% in each village respectively depended on casual labour for their survival. This change has come at a cost to the environment. By 2016, the village forests have largely gone and been replaced by farms. Farmers were concerned that the climate was turning drier because of deforestation. Studying the mundane—the material used in roofs, the size of farms, and so on made it possible to trace and understand the radical transition the area has experienced.

Transformation of shifting cultivation: Extent, driving forces and impacts on livelihoods in Tanzania

Shifting cultivation is in rapid transformation in many parts of the Global South, but the drivers and consequences of these changes are still not well understood, especially in Africa. We therefore analysed the drivers of this transformation and its impacts on livelihoods between 1995 and 2014 in two villages located in Eastern Central Tanzania by combining analysis of socio-economic and remote sensing data. Results revealed that in an upland village, the number of shifting cultivators declined from 34% to 16% and the area changed from 19% to 17%. In a plateau village, the number of shifting cultivators declined from 24% to 18% and the area substantially declined from 23% to 14%. In both villages, shifting cultivators adopted intensive land preparation methods that involved deep tillage and burying of vegetation. Transformation of shifting cultivation in the upland area was driven by adoption and enforcement of land tenure policies that restrict shifting cultivation whereas in the plateau area, it was driven by population pressure causing competition for land between shifting cultivators and pastoralists. In both villages transformation of shifting cultivation negatively affected household income and increased periods of food insecurity.

Distribution and Identification of Nematodes in Tomato Farmers’ Fields in the Selected Semi-Arid Climates of Central and Northern Tanzania

Distribution and Identification of Nematodes in Tomato Farmers’ Fields in the Selected Semi-Arid Climates of Central and Northern Tanzania

English

This paper is based on a study that was conducted in three villages of Njirii, Angondi and Sanjaranda of Manyoni District in central Tanzania. The objectives of the study were: (i) to determine the prevailing status of beekeeping environment and (ii) to assess the anthropogenic and climate factors that reduce honey production. Primary data were obtained using questionnaires and interviews. About 107 participants were purposively selected from three villages to fill survey questionnaires from the three villages. Additionally, about 63 respondents were purposively selected for face to face; these represent 10% of the beekeepers for each village of the three study villages. Findings show that participants associated low honey production with both anthropogenic and climatic factors. Trough regression analysis it was revealed a direct relationship between honey production and quantity of rainfall and was statistically significant in that low rainfall led to low production of honey. Results also showed that bushfires had a negative relationship with the production of honey and was statistically significant. However farming and establishment of settlements were not statistically significant, but had inverse relationship with honey production in that, as expansion of farms, livestock grazing and settlements are increasing, honey production is decreasing. Honey production in the study area could be increased through raising awareness on environmental conservation and protection, thus reducing the adverse impacts caused by both anthropogenic and climatic factors.   Key words: Honey, climate, anthropogenic, production, Tanzania.

English

This study was conducted in two regions namely, Mbeya in southern highlands (Cool) and Singida in central (semi-arid) Tanzania. Currently, the African Chicken Genetic Gain (ACGG) project is testing tropically high producing adapted breeds in these areas. The objective of this study was to assess status of chicken management practices following the introduction of improved strains. In addition, five attitudinal statements describing different management elements were used to measure farmer’s perception on the effect of the use of improved management intervention on production performance of their chicken. A total of 156 households representing 44% (352) of the intervened households were interviewed using semi-structured questionnaire at 48 weeks following introduction of the improved breeds. Data for management practices (housing, feeding and healthcare practices) were assessed using scoring method. For every management aspect, management index was calculated as the proportion of the total score obtained by individual farmer to that of the possible maximum score. The overall result of the present study indicates that most farmers fall under medium status (0.41-0.6) of chicken production practices. Farmers from southern highland zone had better management indices with respect to housing and feeding than those from the central zone. Despite the medium level of management, majority of the respondents in both ecological zones (74.4%) had positive attitude towards influence of management practices on chicken performance. For the improved strains to perform optimally under rural environment, a holistic approach focusing on management elements should be emphasized. Key words: Management practices, improved breed, rural chicken production.

Socioeconomic Activities and Their Potential Impacts on Sustainable Food Safety and Livelihood Improvement in the Bahi Wetland, Central Tanzania

Socioeconomic Activities and Their Potential Impacts on Sustainable Food Safety and Livelihood Improvement in the Bahi Wetland, Central Tanzania

Rock Engravings and Paintings: Rethinking of the Cupules, Gongs, and Grinding Hollows of Siuyu and Ughaugha in Singida East (Tanzania)

Our recent archaeological expeditions in the Siuyu and Ughaugha wards of Singida eastern province have recuperated the very compelling rock engravings (petroglyphs) that weren’t reported in Tanzania before. Archaeologically, Singida’s fame emanated from her endowments of rock paintings. However; during this research, we did discover rock cupules, gongs, and grinding hollows art together with rock paintings (pictographs) that have opened up a new avenue for rock art studies in Tanzania. We carried out intensive site surveys around four sites namely Siuyu, Ngaghe, Misimbwa and Ughaugha B with the aims of solely examining, recording, and documenting archaeological artifacts on the surface in order to research the cultural and behavioural patterns of early humans in the Singida region. Surveys also enabled us to locate suitable areas where future excavations would be established. In some cases, ethnographic enquiries were employed to get supplementary information on the present-day use of rock art sites. Besides, we interviewed local people to assess their general understanding of the presence of more sites or helping in locating, and discovering new sites. Through ethnographic inquiries, we discovered several sites with substantial number of rock engravings that were never document by any researcher. On top of that, this study reports other archaeological potentials of the region by describing in detail their significances for future research undertakings. Additionally, this paper article reports on the occurrence of Middle Stone Age (MSA) archaeological assemblages from the open-air site and the presence of grinding hollows and rock cupules (Siuyu complexes) in central Tanzania for the first time.

Utilization of Global Precipitation Datasets in Data Limited Regions: A Case Study of Kilombero Valley, Tanzania

This study explored the potential for bias correction of global precipitation datasets (GPD) to support streamflow simulation for water resource management in data limited regions. Two catchments, 580 km2 and 2530 km2, in the Kilombero Valley of central Tanzania were considered as case studies to explore three GPD bias correction methods: quantile mapping (QM), daily percentages (DP) and a model based (ModB) bias correction. The GPDs considered included two satellite rainfall products, three reanalysis products and three interpolated observed data products. The rainfall-runoff model HBV was used to simulate streamflow in the two catchments using (1) observed rain gauge data; (2) the original GPDs and (3) the bias-corrected GPDs as input. Results showed that applying QM to bias correction based on limited observed data tends to aggravate streamflow simulations relative to not bias correcting GPDs. This is likely due to a potential lack of representativeness of a single rain gauge observation at the scale of a hydrological catchment for these catchments. The results also indicate that there may be potential benefits in combining streamflow and rain gauge data to bias correct GPDs during the model calibration process within a hydrological modeling framework.

Sustainability of Community Based Water Projects: Dynamics of Actors’ Power Relations

Sustainability of Community Based Water Projects (CBWP) in Central Tanzania was examined. Actors’ power was hypothesized to influence sustainability of the CBWP. Power was analyzed from two aspects; power structures and power relations. A cross-sectional design was adopted, which allowed data to be collected once at a point. A multi-stage sampling technique was used to get the study sample. Stratified random sampling was employed to get 30 CBWP for the study and simple random sampling was used for obtaining 390 households. Purposive sampling was also employed to obtain the key informants for in-depth interviews and Focus Group Discussions Quantitative data obtained were processed and analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS 16v.) while qualitative data were transcribed and content analysis was employed in analyzing them. In examining the power structure the study shows that institutions and empowerment have significant correlation with sustainability status of the CBWP. The study also shows that global and national actors have high influence/power in effecting the CBWP critical activities. The local actors are perceived to be powerless; however, the study indicates importance of recognizing them because their position as powerless actors may limit their participation in the CBWP and thus jeopardizing the chances of yielding sustainable CBWP.

Characterising infant and young child feeding practices and the consumption of poultry products in rural Tanzania: A mixed methods approach.

Suboptimal breastfeeding practices, early initiation of complementary feeding, and monotonous cereal‐based diets have been implicated as contributors to continuing high rates of child undernutrition in sub‐Saharan Africa. Nutrition‐sensitive interventions, including agricultural programs that increase access to nutrient‐rich vegetables, legumes, and animal‐source foods, have the potential to achieve sustainable improvements in children's diets. In the quest to evaluate the efficacy of such programs in improving growth and development in the first 2 years of life, there is a role for mixed methods research to better understand existing infant and young child feeding practices. This analysis forms part of a longitudinal study assessing the impact of improvements to poultry health and crop production on diets and growth of 503 randomly selected children from eight rural communities in Manyoni District in central Tanzania. Using an explanatory sequential design, the quantitative phase of data collection was conducted between May 2014 and May 2016, comprising six monthly structured questionnaires, four monthly household‐level documentation of chicken and egg consumption, and fortnightly records of children's breastfeeding status. The subsequent qualitative phase involved in‐depth interviews with a subset of 39 mothers in October 2016. Breastfeeding was almost universal (96.8%) and of long duration (mean = 21.7 months, SD = 3.6), but early initiation of complementary feeding was also common (74.4%; mean = 4.0 months, SD = 1.8), overwhelmingly driven by maternal perceptions of insufficient milk supply (95.0%). Chicken and eggs were infrequently eaten, but close associations between maternal and child consumption patterns (p < .001) suggest the potential for strategies that increase household‐level consumption to bring nutritional benefits to young children.

Perceptions of caretakers with different socioeconomic status about the harmful outcomes of fever in under-five children in Dodoma region, central Tanzania: A cross-sectional study

BackgroundSocioeconomic status can affect health in childhood through many different pathways. Evidence on how households differ with regard to socioeconomic status and the degree to which this difference is associated with investment in child health is essential to the design of appropriate intervention strategies. AimThis study examines the impact of caretakers’ socio-economic characteristics on perceptions about the harmful outcomes of fever among under-five children. Material and methodsThe study used a three-stage cluster sample of households with under-five children in Dodoma region, central Tanzania. Multilevel modelling approach was used to model the relationship between the outcome measure and caretakers’ socioeconomic characteristics while controlling for other variables. ResultsA total of 329 under-five children with fever were studied of which 74.8% were perceived by their caretakers to have some chances for harmful effects of fever to occur when they experienced fever. Secondary school education or above of caretakers was significantly associated with decreased beliefs about the occurrence of harmful effects of fever. ConclusionMany caretakers are concerned about the occurrence of harmful effects of fever for their under-five children. Study findings suggest that promoting enrolment in secondary education or above and participation in the labour market particularly in non-farm activities of women would be valuable to the health of under-five children in central Tanzania.

Yields of the Major Food Crops: Implications to Food Security and Policy in Tanzania’s Semi-Arid Agro-Ecological Zone

While Tanzania has been facing food shortage for some decades, little efforts have been made to elicit optimal crop yields. To limit this problem, there is a need for a robust agricultural policy that aims at stabilizing agricultural production and socio-economic entitlement among the farmers. The present study analyses the production trend of maize, sorghum and millet (i.e., staple food crops) under rain fed agriculture in Kongwa District, the semi-arid agro-ecological zone of Central Tanzania, and envisage their implications to food security and policy. We collected a set of crop data (1980–2015) from the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries. In addition, 400 respondents were sampled randomly in the study area during household survey while a series of interviews and discussions were conducted mostly basing on the expertise. The Mann-Kendall Test and Microsoft excel (window 13) and theme content methods were employed for data analyses. The results showed that the production trends for maize, sorghum and millet yields have been decreasing at R2 = 0.40, 0.35 and 0.11 respectively and this trend was supported by 80% of the respondents. This decrease was greatly influenced by the temporal decrease in the mean annual rainfall (R2 = 0.21). The diminishing production trend has already decreased food security for 30% in the area. Since agricultural policy can be among the main sources of this poor yields, an explicit and sound agricultural policy should be the central aspect in planning and implementing agricultural activities.

Analysis of nutritional adequacy of local foods for meeting dietary requirements of children aged 6-23\xa0months in rural central Tanzania

BackgroundUnder nutrition remains a serious problem among children in Sub-Saharan Africa. Analysing how diets composed of local foods could achieve nutritional goals for infants and young children in low-income settings is essential. The objective of this study was to analyse how local foods can be used rationally and to what extent these foods can be supplemented to achieve nutrient requirements for children aged 6 – 23 months in resource-poor settings.MethodsA cross-sectional study was carried out to estimate dietary intakes of 400 children aged 6-23 months using a 12-h weighed dietary record, 24-h dietary recalls, and 7-days food records. Anthropometric measurements on each subject were also taken. Analyses were done to establish the level of nutrient intake, and nutritional status of the study population using Microsoft Excel 2013 and ProPAN software version 2.0.ResultsThe results showed that the prevalence of stunting, wasting and underweight for children aged 6–23 months was 30–41%, 1.5–3% and 4–9%, respectively. In addition, the results showed that diets that were consumed by the subjects comprised of local foods met vitamin A, vitamin C, protein and energy requirements for children aged 6–23 months. However, the extent of deficit in iron, zinc and calcium in baseline diets was large and difficult to meet under the existing feeding practices.ConclusionsThe study shows that local foods in the study area have a potential to achieve recommended dietary intakes of some essential nutrients, and that interventions are needed to meet the required amount of iron, zinc and calcium for children aged 6–23 months. The interventions we propose here may encourage changes in traditional feeding habits and practices of the target population. Possible intervention options are (1) supplementation of local foods with nutrient-dense foods that are not normally consumed in the locality (2) providing new avenues for increasing the production and wide consumption of local nutrient-dense foods, or optimizing the way local diets are constituted so as to achieve nutrient recommendations for infants and young children.

Occurrence of aflatoxins and its management in diverse cropping systems of central Tanzania

The staple crops, maize, sorghum, bambara nut, groundnut, and sunflower common in semi-arid agro-pastoral farming systems of central Tanzania are prone to aflatoxin contamination. Consumption of such crop produce, contaminated with high levels of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), affects growth and health. In this paper, aflatoxin contamination in freshly harvested and stored crop produce from central Tanzania was examined, including the efficacy of aflatoxin mitigation technologies on grain/kernal quality. A total of 312 farmers were recruited, trained on aflatoxin mitigation technologies, and allowed to deploy the technologies for 2 years. After 2 years, 188 of the 312 farmers were tracked to determine whether they had adopted and complied with the mitigation practices. Aflatoxigenic Aspergillus flavus and aflatoxin B1 contamination in freshly harvested and stored grains/kernels were assessed. A. flavus frequency and aflatoxin production by fungi were assayed by examining culture characteristics and thin-layer chromatography respectively. AFB1 was assayed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The average aflatoxin contamination in freshly harvested samples was 18.8 μg/kg, which is above the acceptable standard of 10 μg/kg. Contamination increased during storage to an average of 57.2 μg/kg, indicating a high exposure risk. Grains and oilseeds from maize, sorghum, and sunflower produced in aboveground reproductive structures had relatively low aflatoxin contamination compared to those produced in geocarpic structures of groundnut and bambara nut. Farmers who adopted recommended post-harvest management practices had considerably lower aflatoxin contamination in their stored kernels/grains. Furthermore, the effects of these factors were quantified by multivariate statistical analyses. Training and behavioral changes by farmers in their post-harvest practice minimize aflatoxin contamination and improve food safety. Moreover, if non-trained farmers receive mitigation training, aflatoxin concentration is predicted to decrease by 28.9 μg/kg on average.

Malaria surveillance and use of evidence in planning and decision making in Kilosa District, Tanzania

Background: Since 2001, Tanzania has been making concerted efforts to strengthen its Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response system. In this system, malaria is one of the priority diseases that are to be reported monthly. The objectives of this study were to (i) assess malaria surveillance system at facility and district levels to identify key barriers, constraints and priority actions for malaria surveillance strengthening; and (ii) to explore the use of evidence in health planning and decision making at these levels.Methods: The study was carried in Kilosa District in central Tanzania, during October 2012 and involved health facility workers and members of the district health management team. The existing information system on malaria was evaluated using a structured questionnaire and check list. Data collection also involved direct observations of reporting and processing, assessment of report forms and reports of processed data.Results: Three district officials and 17 health facility workers from both public and private health facilities were interviewed. Of the 17 informants, 15 were familiar with disease surveillance functions. A good percentage (47%, 8/17) received training on disease surveillance during the previous two years. Public transport and motorcycles were the main means of reporting epidemiological information from facility to district level. Most of the health facilities (93%, 14/15) faced difficulties in submitting reports due to lack of resources and feedback from the district authority. Analysis of malaria data was reported in 52.9% (9/17) of the facilities, but limited to malaria incidence per age groups. Challenges in data analysis included unavailability of compilation books; lack of computers; poor data storage; incomplete recording; lack of adequate skills for data analysis; and increase in workloads. Data at both facility and district levels were mainly used for quantification and forecasting of drug requirements.Conclusion: Malaria surveillance system in Kilosa district is weak and utilization of evidence for planning and decision making is poor. Capacity strengthening on data analysis and utilization should be given a priority at both facility and district levels of the health systems in Tanzania.

Malaria among rice farming communities in Kilangali village, Kilosa district, Central Tanzania: prevalence, intensity and associated factors

BackgroundMalaria remains the most important cause of morbidity and mortality in Tanzania. However, its prevalence varies from area to area depending on various ecological, socio-economic and health system factors. This study was carried out to determine malaria prevalence and associated factors among rice farming communities in the Kilangali village of Kilosa District in Central Tanzania.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted in May 2015, involving randomly selected persons living in the six sub-villages of the Kilangali village, namely Mlegeni, Kisiwani, Makuruwili, Kwamtunga, Upogoroni and Chamwino. A finger prick blood sample was obtained for diagnosis of malaria infection using Giemsa-stained thick smears and a rapid malaria diagnostic test. Study participants were also screened for haemoglobin levels and a total of 570 children aged ≤ 12 years of age were examined for spleen enlargement using the palpation method.ResultsA total of 1154 persons were examined for malaria infection with mean age of 21.9 ± 19.69 years. The overall malaria prevalence was 14.2% and 17.5% based on microscopic examination and rapid diagnostic test, respectively. Plasmodium falciparum accounted for the majority (89%) of the malaria infections. The overall geometrical mean parasite density was 20.5 parasites/μL (95% CI: 14.6–28.8). Malaria prevalence and parasitaemia was highest among individuals living in the Mlegeni (23.9%) and Makuruwili (24.4%) sub-villages. Among the children examined for splenomegaly, 2.98% (17/570) had it. The overall prevalence of anaemia was 34.6%. Malaria infection was associated with the age groups of 1–10 years (aOR = 4.41, 95% CI: 1.96–9.93, P < 0.001) and 11–20 years (aOR = 6.68, 95% CI: 2.91–15.37, P < 0.001); and mild anaemia (aOR = 1.71, 95% CI: 1.11–2.62, P < 0.014) and moderate anaemia (aOR = 1.55, 95% CI: 1.01–2.39, P < 0.045).ConclusionsMalaria was found at the study setting and its prevalence varied according to the demographic characteristics of the study participants and between sub-villages that are closely located.

Prevalence and predictors of anaemia among patients presenting with kidney diseases at the University of Dodoma Hospital in central Tanzania

Background: Anaemia is a common complication that contributes to the burden of kidney diseases. Anaemia confers significant risk of cardiovascular disease and contributes to decreased quality of life. While the primary cause of anaemia is the inadequate production of erythropoietin by the kidneys to support erythropoiesis, other factors may contribute to anaemia. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and predictors of anaemia among patients presenting with kidney diseases at the haemodialysis unit of the University of Dodoma (UDOM) hospital in central Tanzania.Methodology: In this retrospective study we reviewed data of patients who presented at UDOM haemodialysis unit in Tanzania with kidney diseases as from January 2013 to June 2015. Data were descriptively and inferentially analysed using Stata version 11 software.Results: A total of 1,395 patients were involved in this study. Of these, 792 (56.8%) presented with kidney diseases, 249 (31.4%) were found to have anaemia. The leading cause of anaemia was chronic kidney disease (CKD) 136 (54.6%), blood loss 74(29.7), haemolysis 15 (6.0%), Nutrition 13(5.2%) and others 11 (4.4%). Glomerular filtration rate of &lt; 60 mL/min/1.73 m2 accounted for 59.1% of CKD. Median [IQR] serum creatinine level: 246 [177 – 317] μmol/L, Urea level 16[8 -24] mmol/L and haemoglobin of 9.8 [6.2 - 13.4] g/dL. Prevalence of anaemia was strongly associated with declining glomerular filtration rate (P= 0.01).Conclusion: Anaemia is very common among patients presenting with kidney diseases. These patients require a thorough evaluation to identify and correct causes of anaemia other than erythropoietin deficiency.

Rock Art and Tourism in Tanzania: In Search for Innovations

Although the tourism industry is currently the biggest source of foreign income in Tanzania, it has for many years been concentrating on Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Game Reserves and national parks, while neglecting rock art sites, which in fact, are among the potential tourism attractions. The author acknowledges the contribution of the former in tourism promotion, but innovation is of vital important for rapid development of tourism promotion. This paper explores factors that have made the rock arts of central Tanzania to remain a neglected topic to the general public. It does so together with demonstrating ideas to make Tanzanian rock art sites among the tourist attractions since they have been taken lightly and not realized in tourism promotion for over four decades regardless the fact that the country occupies the largest concentration of rock art in Eastern Africa. Nevertheless, Tanzania occupies the oldest history of human ancestors, which are Zinjanthropus, Homo habilis and Homo erectus. The factors that are keenly looked at, in this study, include protecting the sites from natural disasters, involving people living around the sites in protection measures, building hotels and camps around the sites and educating the general public about the sites. The author of this study believes that there is a need for innovations, not only for tourism promotions but also for proper exploitation of economic resources of the rock art sites to alleviate poverty at least from the family level, especially for people who dwell around these sites. Keywords: rock art, rock paintings, Central Tanzania, promotion, attractions

Origin and mechanisms of high salinity in Hombolo Dam and groundwater in Dodoma municipality Tanzania, revealed

The Hombolo dam (HD), in central Tanzania, is a shallow reservoir characterized by high salinity that limits its use for human activities. The origin of the salinity, mechanisms of reaching and concentrating in the dam remain unclear. These were assessed using hydrogeochemical facies, water type evolutions and mapping. The source of HD salinity was identified to be shallow groundwater (SG) and runoff from a seasonal floodplain with NaCl-rich lithological materails, along Little Kinyasungwe River that feeds the dam. The NaCl-rich lithological units, about 5–7 km upstream of the dam, were highly concentrated with NaCl to the extent that the local community was commercially separating table salt from them. The physicochemical parameters from these NaCl-rich lithological materials were well represented in HD and nearby groundwater sources, which suggests active water interactions. Water type evolution and surface hydrology assessments clearly showed that SG in the salty-floodplain was influenced by evaporation (ET) and was periodically carried to the HD. Clearly; HD water had high chemical similarity with the nearby SG. This agrees with previous studies that HD is partly fed by the local aquifer. However, this is the first attempt at mapping its physical origin. The origin of HD salinity was further supported by the spatial distribution of electrical conductivity (EC), where very high EC (up to 21,230 μScm−1) was recorded in SG within the NaCl-rich lithological unit while water sources far away from the NaCl-rich materials had much lower EC values. Thus, the study disagrees with previous conclusions that HD salinity was sorely due to high dam surface ET but is primarily due to geological reasons. Comparisons of HD with a nearby Matumbulu dam (MD), another earthen dam in climatologically similar settings, reveals that MD water was less saline/mineralised. This further shows that HD high salinity is most likely a geologic phenomenon, but local climatic factors, namely high ET, decreasing rainfall and warming trends are likely to have concentrated the salts further. Although HD is widely/ideally used for grape vine irrigation, it was clearly revealed that its prolonged usage would potentially affect the soil and grape productivity due to high salinity.