Brace for more rains, TMA warns

Dar es Salaam. The Tanzania Meteorological Agency (TMA) yesterday issued a weather alert for Dar es Salaam residents, asking them to brace for more rains today.

Heavy rains, which disrupted transport across the city yesterday, are expected to continue pounding Dar es Salaam today and tomorrow, the TMA said yesterday.

In the statement posted on the TMA website, the weatherman predicts that the downpour will lessen on Friday and that the city residents will experience sunshine periods again from Saturday.

The rains almost brought Dar es Salaam to a standstill yesterday after they disrupted transport services and slowed down businesses for many hours.

It started raining early in the morning, forcing authorities to close the Jangwani section of the Morogoro Road.

Private and public vehicles suffered terrible traffic jams, forcing them to stay on roads for many hours while some were forced to use alternative ways to reach their offices and homes.

The Dar es Salaam Rapid Bus (Dart) suspended its transport service at Jangwani temporarily and advised commuters to use other available options.

“We advise commuters to use alternative means of transport,including other private commuter buses that pass through Kigogo in order to reach the city centre and other parts of the city,” Dart said in a statement yesterday.

Those heading to Kimara from the city centre were advised to board commuter buses that pass through Mwenge or Kariakoo.

The Dart buses, however, continued with their services on the Kariakoo-Muhimbili route.

While for some it was blessing in disguise, some families found themselves homeless after water filled their houses, damaged and swept properties.

City dwellers who live in flood-prone areas had to find refuge elsewhere as their houses were flooded.

The Citizen witnessed residents of Tabata Kisiwani, picking their properties from water and some shifting their properties to nearby houses.

A similar situation was witnessed in many other locations in the country’s largest commercial city.

Beds and other home furniture goods were swept away from houses located at Tabata Mwananchi where the road had to be temporary closed.

The situation was also bad at Kigogo, Msimbazi, Jangwani, Mwananyamala, Sinza, Vingunguti, Magomeni-makuti, Tabata Kimanga, Kinondoni, Mbagala and Buguruni where most traders could not even open their businesses.

There was no report of death or injuries as of press time.

The government is banking on a number of projects in a deliberate effort to surmount flooding in Dar es Salaam.

Addressing a public rally at Kinyerezi earlier this week, the CCM Presidential candidate, Dr John Magufuli, said some Sh32 billion was already set aside  for some development activities around Msimbazi River with a view to lessening flooding.

He also ordered the ministry of Water to ensure that a water project under implementation is completed before December 2020 and benefit the people of Kinyerezi, Bonyokwa and Kifuru areas of Segerea constituency.