Flood in Dar es Salaam with many deaths and homeless

It was a three days heavy rain that led to over accumulation of water over and above usual ground level during rain for many years for those who can remember. This overflow from rivers and trenches along water course flooded the ground and houses mostly in Jangwani, Kigogo, Msasani, Tabata and other many areas of the city. Unfortunately it destroyed many lives and properties, eroded houses, drowned people, floated away cows, goats, hens and house properties to the thin air from the frustrated evacuated owner.

Day 20^th, 21^st and 23^rd of December 2011 were days of deaths, destructions, loss of homes, loss of property for our relatives and friends. It stopped production, basic services to the community, environmental and infrastructures damage. Volunteers, government, polices, army and other nongovernmental organizations did a good job by evacuating the survivors from the flood areas. The evacuates are disposed as a group of people in a area that was not planned for human settlement at Ubungo maziwa.

Effects of this catastrophic natural disaster are head every day on funeral ceremonies, TVs and radios as every one of us tries to calm down the stress. The victims are in the camp were the next problem will be water washed diseases like diarrhoea, cholera and the like, malaria and malnutrition for children are also part and parcel of the disaster. Post traumatic stress disorders, conflicts on food, water, shelter and confidentiality are to arise within the camp.

We all know natural disasters are associated with many expenditures related to new settlement, water supply, health infrastructure, security, disease outbreak, rebuilding new infrastructure of roads and power supply. Different stake holders like ministries defence, health, and prime minister’s office are spending much to rejuvenate the pre flood state.

We, MOPE as a nongovernmental organization fill as a part of the unfortunate, as we analyse the post flood problems. The following are the urgent variables that the Government and other interested party should consider to assist, in the camp were the victims are kept for a while and within the new settlement planed by the government:

1. Waste management
2. Clean and safe water supply
3. Health education on water washed diseases, malnutrition and malaria
4. Counselling of victims who otherwise like to go back to the flood area as water goes away and encouraging them within the camp to accept the Government plan of Madale as a new home.

For any interested donor who would like to corraborate with us (MOPE) to address these problems please contact us:

mopetz2002@yahoo.com, link to http://envaya.org/mope?lang=sw or call +255713 764522

Dr. Joel J Bwemelo (MOPE secretary)