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No relief yet at water-logged Bonde la Mpunga
2007-08-12 10:39:16
By Evans Rubara
Rains are over but residents of Bonde la Mpunga area at Dar es Salaam`s Msasani suburb live under perpetual apprehension as they are still surrounded by pools of murky waters.
Construction of the long promised drainage system, which would have eased their plight, is still stalled.
A visit to the area by this reporter yesterday revealed that the residents are bitter, accusing of authorities of Kinondoni Municipal Council of reneging on their promise to construct a water drainage system.
Pools of stinking water are rife there, although the Kinondoni Municipal Engineer, Benjamin Maziku speaks defensively: `There is no such a thing as a tug of war or any changes on the initial map on where the drainage should be constructed.
The drainage construction works will be completed in two months` time from now.”
A concerned resident, Esther Sylvester, is worried that the planned construction has already shown signs of weakness for any floods when heavy rains approach, saying: `In the first place, this drainage they are building will not be able to do away with the flood problems when the rains come again.
`If you want to know that the municipal leadership is playing with us; look at this drainage. Can you differentiate it from a urinal? Even water from the earlier floods is not gone.`
Octavian Utowu, another resident, suggests that if the problem is to end permanently the authorities must put in place a wider canal of the size of a road, not the small sized trench.
`Our woes will be solved if the government showed seriousness on the matter by giving the drainage issue a reasonable consideration, say the size of a single road.
`Maybe the government fears compensating owners of buildings which stand on the main water path although it is the municipal council authorities that sold them plots knowing well the outcome,` complains Utowu, suggesting a conflict between the municipality, residents and apartment owners over where the drainage should pass.
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