About 30 minutes of heavy rain swept away 21 houses in Nzovwe ward in Mbeya city, southern Tanzania, HabariLeo reported on Wednesday. The flooding left 43 households homeless. Mbeya Regional Commissioner Jumanne Sagini confirmed that nobody died.
After visiting the victims, Sagini ordered residents of high-risk areas to leave at once and stay away temporarily to save their lives. He warned that the damage was a sign of worse to come if the forecast heavy rains continue while people remain in danger zones. He said the government had been warning about El Nino rains, but some people had joked about it instead of taking precautions. "Now we have seen half an hour of rain cause this damage. What if it had rained for seven hours?" he asked.
Sagini ordered the regional disaster committee to deliver food and mattresses to affected families quickly. He said some victims are now staying with relatives and neighbours. He added that the Tanzania National Roads Agency (TANROADS) has started work on risky spots. These include a drain blamed for the flooding after it filled up and overflowed.
One victim, Innocent Mwongole, asked the government to repair the drain. He also wants rubble from road construction cleared away so the flooding does not happen again.
Elsewhere in the region, the rural and urban roads agency Tarura has begun inspecting roads in Mbeya rural district ahead of the El Nino rains, Mwananchi reported on Tuesday. District manager Boniface Kasambo said the agency looks after 133 kilometres of roads, 102 bridges and more than 200 river crossings. Engineers will inspect them to find weak points and fix them before the rains cut off communities. Kasambo said the roads are generally in fair shape. He added that the potholed Sinde-Meta road already has a budget for repairs.
Mbeya regional Tarura manager William Lameck urged residents to clear drainage channels and stop dumping rubbish. He said rubbish blocks water paths and causes floods. Iwindi village resident Alex Mturo told Mwananchi that crossings are cut off several times each rainy season. He said this hurts business and sometimes keeps children out of school. In a separate report, Mwananchi said conflicts and El Nino are set to shake food prices.