The English have a saying, 'always be careful for what you wish for, you never know what you will get'. For those living in Kahama District, many unfortunately learnt the meaning of this saying the hard way.
It's been almost a fortnight since the devastating floods in Kahama district claimed over 40 lives. In many parts of the country, rain has been severely scarce and as we know drastic times call for drastic actions or in this case prayers.
Shinyanga Regional Commissioner (RC) Ally Rufunga was quoted as he confirmed the incident, that about 3,500 individuals from 500 households were left homeless, as their houses were virtually swept away by floods.
The RC said the rains started at around 10:00 pm and continued in various parts of the region, but caused massive damages in the three villages of Kahama District whose residents were located in unsafe habitat and some in valleys. They, hence, easily succumbed to death as a result of the calamity.
He mentioned the affected villages and number of households as Mwakata (350), Nhumbi (100) and Magung'hwa (50). Floods are not uncommon to Tanzania in recent times and certainly so on the African continent thanks to the wrath of climate change and its associated negative impacts.
While efforts to mitigate the effects continue, as a nation, when floods and other impacts hit our brothers and sisters, we have to go out of our way and assist where we can.
Tigo Tanzania took this moral call at heart and donated relief food and other household items worth 30m/- to families affected.The items were handed over mid last week by Tigo Lake Zone Director Ally Maswanya who underscored the company's commitment to stand by the people of this country in happiness and during difficult moments.
"We are here to join other well-wishers in sympathising with those affected by this natural disaster and to wish them quick recovery from the great loss of their loved ones and material property," Maswanya said.
The items donated by Tigo include mattresses, maize flour, rice, beans, sardines (dagaa), cooking oil, salt, sugar, buckets, salt, buckets, soap bars, saucepans, cups and plates.
Tigo has also dedicated its platform to resource mobilisation towards assisting the flood victims where customers can send an SMS to number 15741 to donate 200/- from their airtime or from their Tigo Pesa wallets to number 0714048435.
Tigo's donation, according to Maswanya, is part of the company's corporate responsibility, a policy commitment to invest part of the company's resources in community development programmes and in emergence responses.
President Jakaya Kikwete on Friday directed more assistance to be channelled to the victims of flood victims in Kahama District, Shinyanga Region. The president reassured the affected people of the government's commitment to help them and noted that he is not pleased with the ongoing efforts by regional authorities.
"I am not happy with the current pace of helping the victims, more needs to be done, you are not doing enough as it is," he said. Climate change will increase the vulnerability of the urban poor throughout Africa. Already many are forced to live in hazardous environments, building their homes and growing their food on floodplains in towns and cities.
Others construct their shelters on steep, unstable hillsides, or along the foreshore on former mangrove swamps or tidal flats. Already vulnerable to destructive floods, damaging landslides or storm surges, climate change is making the situation of the urban poor worse.
Flood hazards are natural phenomena, but damage and losses from floods are the consequence of human action. Urbanisation aggravates flooding by restricting where flood waters can go, covering large parts of the ground with roofs, roads and pavements, obstructing sections of natural channels and building drains that ensure that water moves to rivers faster than it did under natural conditions. As more people crowd into cities, so the effects intensify.
As a result, even quite moderate storms produce high flows in rivers because there are more hard surfaces and drains.
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