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Everybody’s head is flat around here, or something. Pretty heavy if you have to carry this on your head.
With a bottle of water in the hand, we travel through Tanzanialand.
- It’s kind of annoying. It’s really good that they seal those things, so that you know it’s a new bottle.
But then you also have to throw this seal away. And you never, ever come across a trash bin.
I’m very happy to see that Neda knows in which direction we go. I believe in an emancipated world.
Yes, I did it! We can ride along for a few kilometers.
Can we drive with you? Thank you sir!
What’s your name? - I’m Happy.
Happy? - Yeah.
Wonderful! That’s a nice name!
We heard that in Tanzania, and especially in the Dar region, there are many problems with water management and sanitation.
- Yes, the water is salty, which is cheap.
So most people, they also drink salty water?
- Yeah, they do! They are used to it. Because they cannot afford to buy tap water.
And then I recall being ill when I was younger, and that my mother would bring me a glass of warm salty water.
Which was really disgusting. Can you imagine that one drinks this water every day?
They always walk very fast. And my legs aren’t that tall.
- 200, 300 coins. 300 coins? 200.
I noticed that people here are less friendly than in previous countries. It’s all very much like ‘hurry up, hurry up!’.
On the other hand, everyone is extra relaxed once something needs to get done. Then it’s all ‘hakuna matata’.
Oh look, the ocean!
We’ll go to South Beach. We need to take a ferry first. And then we head for the beach of course.
Hey, that’s really funny! He’s wearing an UNOX hat!
Next week Elfstedentocht (Eleven Cities Tour – Dutch iceskating contest)! - Ah no, no.
We met a lot of people here that told us that there is a big problem with the water supply and sanitation.
If I would live a little bit outside the city center, would I have water? - Actually... no.
Water is the main basic need of a person. Pretty strange to realize that people here simply don’t have it, or can’t afford it.
Nice, we’re going on a boat.
Dough, with a little bit of fish. Yeah, you would have liked a piece as well, don’t you!
The last sea we saw, was the Mediterranean. You know what’s even better? As a hitchhiker, you smell. I really stink.
But I will just jump into the sea with my clothes on, and everything will be clean again.
The salt will be good for the small wounds. I’m looking forward to it!
Here we met the chairman of a local community, where they showed us in what way they get their daily water.
Good job! The men here are doing something as well. That makes me happy.
- Yes, the emancipation has been developed.
Ok, did some get in? Feels like fishing. - No…right.
Amateur right… sorry.
So the people from the upper village, they come to get the water from this well.
Because they believe that as it’s close to the ocean the water is a little bit filtrated.
- The sea is actually filtering the water? Yeah.
- They just drink it like that? They take it out and drink. Yeah.
And it’s heathy, its ok? It’s good water? It’s not healthy, but it’s ok. - Enough for hydration.
I found it peculiar to see that these women consider the water as very clean – of course it could be better –
however they test the water by checking the clarity.
And the head of the community told us that this can actually be quite dangerous,
since the clarity of the water doesn’t say that much about possible bacteria and chemicals the water may contain.
How many people are dependent on this well? It’s over 200. - Wow..
Do they have to walk far to come here? Around 2 kilometers.
I’d like to see you guys do that as well. This will flatten my head completely.
At home, we just get water from the tap.
If that isn’t good enough for you, then you’ll just cross the street to buy some bottled water in the supermarket.
You don’t need to walk 2 kilometers for that.
At one point, you’ll truly get a flat head!
And what is the problem of salty water? Is it that salty that it’s becoming dangerous?
- We don’t know the side effects, and you don’t taste it in your mouth. It’s an additional salt that you don’t need for your body,
but you have to take it.
At one point, the bucket was thrown inside and Sierd thought to himself: let me just take a sip.
- Is it salty? No.
- Andddd..... diarrhea. I didn’t swallow yet.
If there are around 200 people to get water at this well, then you ask yourself: aren’t there any other possibilities
to meet the water demand?
The head of the community told us that other possibilities do exist, but cost a lot of money. The German government already invested
in those alternatives, about which the community is very happy.
More money is needed, and that’s always difficult. What the head of the community also told us,
is that some kind of dependency arises when receiving aid and money.
I wouldn’t want to call it a syndrome; it’s rather a dependency problem.
People will just wait until indeed a new water well gets built.
I didn’t taste it, no, because the diarrhea would probably be running down soon.
Sierd, however, did taste it. So let’s see what will happen tomorrow.
Good night!
Neda, come over here! Sierd is throwing up! Noo! Are you seriously puking?
How did that happen boy? What do you think? Can it be that sip of water?
Dude, why are you laughing?
but do you seriously think it’s because of that one sip? This is getting interesting.
I didn’t swallow that water. You didn’t swallow?
But puking because of those beers would be childish. Then I think it’s way cooler to say it’s because of that sip of water.
Get those lights out of my sight! Please!�