EDITORIAL: LET’S AVOID RAIN FLOODING WOES
What you need to know:
- On Sunday, reports had it that more than 300 people were rendered homeless after heavy rains pounded the district.
Rainfall this year has been particularly destructive, aggravated no doubt by climate change. Floods wreaked havoc in many parts of Tanzania, the latest being Same District in Kilimanjaro Region.
On Sunday, reports had it that more than 300 people were rendered homeless after heavy rains pounded the district.
Fortunately – unlike Dar es Salaam where at least 14 died from floods early this year – no deaths were reported in Same, although property and infrastructure were damaged.
This is the third time within a short period that floods are causing distress in Same, with the total number of people directly affected being more than 3,000.
The Tanzania Meteorology Agency warned in March of above-average rains, and local leaders should have come up with plans to ‘protect’ people, especially those living in lowlands. As it seems, little was done to avoid dire consequences from floods. But it is not too late to start heeding in earnest advice from weather forecasters.
Apart from that, some floods are triggered by destructive human activities like wanton deforestation and bad farming practices.
It is past high time that our leaders came up with foolproof strategies on reforestation and environmental protection.
