RESIDENTS of Kibiti and Rufiji districts in Coast Region are being asked to take exceptional precautions in view of the harm that may strike the area when large amounts of water are released from the Julius Nyerere Hydropower Project (JNHPP) dam.

Kenneth Boymanda, the Tanzania Electric Supply Co. Ltd (Tanesco), director in the eastern region, sounded the warning over the weekend as Tanesco officials inspected effects emerging from the flooding in those areas, as heavy rains are compounded by discharge from the dam.

 While the dam has been a brake to random floods in those areas, last seen hack in 2021, recent heavy rains have overcome the storage capacity of the dam, thus spelling another onset of floods.

 ''The company continues to warn all residents living in the lower level of Rufiji and Kibiti districts about the increase of water. People who live in those areas that have always been affected by floods should take precautions to save their property and their lives and avoid major disasters that can be prevented," he said.

 Dismas Mbote, a water engineer at the project site, said that the company has been making efforts to raise awareness on the issue before releasing water from the dam, with a team of JNHPP officials camping in those areas to insist on the need to leave the dangerous areas while safety still prevails.

 Reducing water from the dam started on March 8 and is yet to be ended as the water depth was increasing, with the company checking amounts of water to be released so diminish likelihood of harm to residents especially in Rufiji District, he explained.

 Maj. Edward Gowelle, the Rufiji district commissioner, said the JNHPP project has significantly reduced flooding that was regularly occurring in the district.

 The presence of the dam has helped to know the amount of water being released and thus mitigated its impact than random flooding, he said, noting that there was no precaution in the past.

“People were just surprised by rushing water in their houses and fields during this period,” he said, elaborating that government officials in Rufiji had received early warning from Tanesco.

“So we conveyed information to the people who took precautions to avoid harm and that is why until now no death has been reported as a result of floods," he stated.

 Abdul Bakari Chobo, the district council chairman, said that Rufiji District has traditionally experienced frequent floods but the construction of JNHPP has reduced the threat, eliminated over the past few years.

 "Some houses in Kanga, Kiegele, Kilindi and Nyandote areas at Chumbi ward in Rufiji district, Coast Region surrounded by water as captured