Tanzania: Many people caught up in energy use dilemma

Environmental activists may be smiling due to scarcity of charcoal, a source of energy widely used in many urban and rural areas, with producers blaming multiple taxes and other charges imposed on it as well as haulage obstacles -that together raise costs immensely.

But mostly affected are the ordinary people who have been relying on charcoal for cooking. The product has for years remained the only affordable source of energy for domestic use as the price of kerosene- the other option, remains high alongside a world-wide oil price surge.
The elite are now switching to the use of gas stoves -an energy use that is gaining prominence at the expense of costly electricity, kerosene and charcoal.

Initially, gas stoves were highly feared as unsafe due to leakages that led to fire outbreaks whose consequences included deaths and damage to property.

“It`s much better using these stoves than any of the other energy sources. It’s only expensive the first time one buys the equipment, but more affordable as you only fill gas into the cylinder,“ said Steven Julius, who started using a gas stove some three months ago.

Analysts believe that making charcoal expensive is a tactic aimed at discouraging tree-cutting.

The fourth phase government is committed to curbing tree cutting for charcoal production as well as the export of logs.

However, as these measures are being imposed, not everybody can afford a gas stove. A stove is selling at between 60,000/- and 180,000/- depending on the size of the gas cylinder.

IPP Media