Rains wreak havoc as TMA issues warning

What you need to know:

  • Parents were forced to go and pick up their children as schools cancelled studies due to heavy rains

Dar es Salaam. From temporary closure of public roads to school interruptions, heavy rains took a heavy toll on the city’s streets yesterday, with the weather watchdog warning people of even heavier downpours.

Sections of Morogoro Road and the Jangwani and Magomeni, areas were closed to traffic from 11:40am yesterday due to heavy flooding the heavy rains that pounded the city in the last two days and nights.

The Dar es Salaam Special Zone Police Commander responsible for road traffic safety, Mr Marsom Mwakyoma, told The Citizen on Friday, May 10, that some road sections are notorious for flooding during heavy rains.

“The police force closed the road section at Magomeni and Jangwani because of the flooding, and could possibly cause a disaster,’’ he said. “We also made this decision in the interest of ‘Bodaboda’ motorcycle and ‘Bajaj’ three-wheeler operators who were ferrying passengers across the flooded areas. This is a risky undertaking for both the operators and their passengers,” he explained.

Some parents told The Citizen that they received ’phone calls from schools where their children study, asking them to go and pick them up as the schools had cancelled classes for the day due to heavy rains.

Meanwhile, the Tanzania Meteorological Agency (TMA) has urged the public to continue to take precautions as heavy rains are most to continue pounding the eastern coastal areas.

The agency’s central forecasting office manager, Mr Samwel Mbuya, said yesterday that the rains will be accompanied by strong winds. In that regard, he warned the public against ignoring the alerts and directives by TMA.

“The continuing rains in Dar es Salaam, Zanzibar, Tanga and Pemba will last for two more days,” Mr Mbuya said, noting that the seasonal rains will continue especially in the northern, eastern and lake zone parts of the country.

But, he forecast that the rains will continue to abate in most other areas up to the end of May.