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By
Mutayoba Arbogast, Bukoba
Residents
of Missenyi District in the Kagera Region are making desperate pleas for
immediate intervention after relentless downpours from March to May devastated
the area, leaving countless families homeless and paralyzing essential economic
activities. The continuous flooding has not only submerged homes and vital
public infrastructure but also turned the lives of these communities upside
down.
With
drainage systems overwhelmed by debris and silt, the residents urgently call on
authorities to grapple with the scourge before the next round of rains arrives,
emphasizing the need to redirect the floodwaters into the Kagera River before
the situation spirals further out of control.
The
division has been grappling with severe flooding, particularly in Bunazi
township and the surrounding villages of Kassambya Ward, where numerous homes
have been reduced to rubble, leaving families in desperate need of temporary
shelters. Despite efforts by the villagers to dig trenches to alleviate the flooding,
the situation remains dire. Many residents are now looking to the government
for help, stressing that larger-scale interventions are necessary to prevent
further devastation.
In
2023, the Tanzania Meteorological Agency (TMA) had forecasted above-normal
rainfall for much of the country, including the Kagera Region, warning those in
flood-prone areas to relocate as the El-Niño weather pattern was expected to
intensify between October and December.
These warnings have now come to pass, with
Missenyi Division, situated in the Ngono River valley, bearing the brunt of the
flooding. In contrast, the neighboring Kiziba Division, located on higher
ground, has largely escaped the worst of the deluge.
The
ongoing disaster has drawn comparisons to the 2021 floods when over 1,300
people in Kyaka and Bunazi townships were forced into temporary shelters,
supported by stakeholders, including the Prime Minister's Office. This year,
however, the flooding has once again destroyed homes and washed away crops,
threatening the future of the region's residents.
One
prominent voice in the community, Sadam Matsawili, a 38-year-old graduate in
Economics and Statistics from the University of Dar es Salaam and Country
Manager at EDI Global (Tanzania) Limited, has called on the authorities to take
immediate action. Matsawili, who farms 20 acres of land in Igayaza village,
Nsunga Ward, has managed to protect his crops by digging ditches for water
diversion but is deeply concerned for his neighbors who lack the resources to
do the same. He urges the government to provide small ditching machines to
farmers and proposes building large reservoirs to capture rainwater for
irrigation during the dry season.
Sospeter
George, a resident of Kassambya village, reported that while the villagers have
done their part by cleaning and digging ditches, more assistance is needed. An
excavator provided by the government has helped dig a trench to release water
from the village, but George insists that the Missenyi District Council must
join the efforts to fully address the crisis.
Meanwhile,
serious allegations have surfaced against Kagera Sugar Limited (KSL),
Tanzania's third-largest sugar producer, which is accused of exacerbating the
floods by discharging excess water from its sugarcane plantations into
residential areas rather than directing it to the Kagera River. Residents of
Bunazi, Kabwela, Luhama, Mabuye, and Itala areas have accused the company of
negligence, claiming that the mismanagement of water resources has worsened the
flooding in these already vulnerable communities.
Despite
these serious allegations, attempts to reach Kagera Sugar's management for
comment have proven futile. The company's information officer redirected
inquiries to the Human Resources officer, who claimed to be in a meeting and
promised to respond later. However, repeated follow-up attempts have gone
unanswered, leaving the community's concerns unaddressed.
Adding
to the frustration, efforts to contact Missenyi District Commissioner Col.
Wilson Sakulo for an official response on the government's plans to tackle the
flooding crisis have also been unsuccessful. The then Missenyi District Commissioner, who was
reportedly en route to Bukoba Municipality for work, requested the reporter to
send a text message but has since neither responded nor provided any further
information.
Earlier,
Missenyi District Council Executive Director, Paul Wanga, had deferred all
inquiries regarding the floods to the District Commissioner, stating that he
was in the best position to provide relevant information to the media.
As
the El-Niño conditions persist, the government faces mounting pressure not only
to address the immediate needs of flood victims but also to validate and
safeguard the East Africa Crude Oil Project (EACOP) route, which crosses the
lowlands of Igayaza village in Missenyi District. This area, along with
numerous farms, has been severely affected by the ongoing floods, raising
concerns about the long-term viability of the project in the face of such
natural disasters.
The residents of Missenyi Division continue to endure the aftermath of the floods, with the potential for further devastation looming large. The urgent need for coordinated efforts, strategic planning, and effective land use management has never been more apparent, as the community braces for the challenges ahead.