FLASHFLOODS; destruction to property; mayhem and panic – that was the general situation as heavy rains pounded Dar es Salaam and several other regions on the Mainland and Zanzibar.
The pre-dawn rains that continued to the early hours of Tuesday hit a wider section of Kilimanjaro Region, Zanzibar, Handeni in Tanga region and Songea in Ruvuma region. In Dar es Salaam the rains caused mayhem and destruction to property, especially along Kilwa Road and Mtoni Kizinga area in Temeke District, Dar es Salaam region.
A spot check by this newspaper showed that other areas hit include the area along Nelson Mandela Expressway, Mabibo Banana Market, Young Africans Sports Club Ground (Kaunda) at Jangwani area, Mbezi Beach near Masana Hospital, Tangi Bovu, Boko, Bunju and Goba areas.
There was notable change in some once notorious areas as far as floods are concerned, including those along the Msimbazi River at Jangwani. The areas, like the one at the DART station and Mayfair Plaza area along Mwai Kibaki Road in Msasani were free of flashfloods this time around.Residents in the Mayfair Plaza vicinity said rehabilitation of the Mwai Kibaki Road that entailed construction of a strong drainage system has served to keep the area from flooding.
The rains that started pounding the different parts of the city in the early hours of yesterday morning caused serious damage to houses and properties in Temeke District, where nearly 15 houses were damaged. Some of the houses were filled up with sand brought along by rainwater while others had gaping holes after the rainwater swept away parts of the walls.
Temeke District Commissioner Sophia Mjema, who immediately arrived at the scene after receiving the news promised to dispatch three lorries of sand to fortify and stop rainwater from flowing into residential houses.
The area’s local government officials are in communication with the Tanzania National Road Agency (TANROADS), who are responsible for the roads, damaged drainage system and the service road.
The Mbuyuni Street Executive Officer, Mr Samora Hassan Abdallah, said there was no injury or harm caused to anyone although about 15 houses were destroyed. He could not, however, immediately give the value of the property destroyed.
“The district commissioner has promised to bring sand and the community will work together to fortify this place to stop rain water from flowing into the houses -- in case it rains again.
She will also follow up with TANROADS, who are responsible for the road and drainage system,” he explained.
Mr Omari Mfumo, member of the local government in Mbuyuni Street said the culverts put up during the construction of the Kilwa Road was not strong enough as its destruction has led to water, sand and dirt flowing into people’s houses.
Some of the residents could be seen packing their belongings and moving out, including a young man who was seen bundling up his mattress onto a motorcycle taxi, ready to seek shelter elsewhere.
A woman who only gave one name, Hadijah, thanked God that the rains started pounding in the early hours of the morning -- “otherwise it would have been a different story of deaths and people being swept away by the water.”
She said the culvert that is supposed to lead water into the draining system was overwhelmed by the water, destroying the embankment and the services, flowing into people’s houses.
“If you were here in the early morning, you’d have been amazed. It was like a huge fountain jumping up in the sky before the embankment was destroyed,” she explained.
She said there were no such incidents before TANROADS embarked on rehabilitation of the Kilwa Road, expressing fear that this might turn out to be a customary occurrence in future.
Reports from Tanga, Zanzibar, Kilimanjaro and Ruvuma regions show that heavy rains hit some parts of the regions, damaging roads, bridges and houses, leaving hundreds of people homeless.
/Daily News.
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