Rain floods wreak havoc with upcountry roads and bridges
Handeni. The road connecting Dar es Salaam and upcountry regions to the north has been temporarily closed after the Mandera/Wami Bridge area across the Wami River in the Coast Region has been submerged under floods.
In the event, the traffic police officers along the A-14 road have advised motorists to divert through Handeni Town.
The Tanga Region traffic officer in charge, Solomon Mwangamilo, said the flooding by the ongoing rains occurred in the afternoon of Saturday, October 12, 2019 – and the water level in the area has been rising since then.
“We have closed the Mkata route, and direct all vehicles heading to Korogwe and other northern parts of the country to divert through Handeni because the section at the Mandera Bridge is impassable,” Mwangamilo said.
On the other hand, the road from Dar es Salaam to Tanga is still in a good condition. But drivers are nonetheless cautioned to be careful during their journey upcountry and down to the coast.
“To be on the safe side, all drivers must follow traffic regulations, and any instructions they are given by the traffic police,” he stressed.
One passenger travelling upcountry, Digna Tesha, told The Citizen that travelling upcountry by road is getting more and more difficult. The number of vehicles stranded in each direction along the road is increasing – and there is no hope that the problem will abate anytime soon.
In more or less similar vein, vehicles travelling between Turiani in Morogoro Region and Handeni in Tanga Region have also failed to continue with their journey, after the bridge in Kang’ata Rural Ward was also submerged by floods.
