Mvua ina nyesha kubwa sasa (The rain is pouring big now)
And not just for thirty minutes at a time either, which has been the norm this rainy season in Dar es Salaam. It has poured rain for the last couple of days, 94mm so far, and no signs yet of the skies clearing up. As a result, many of the roads, which are already in disrepair, are underwater and is making the already always slow commute all the more chaotic. I must say though, the drivers have been much more courteous – likely as, in many areas, they are being forced to share a single lane with more drivers than usual (as people take refuge from the rain) barefooted pedestrians, bicycles, and submerged bajaj (3 wheeled vehicles which operate as taxis).
Many homes and ‘temporary dwellings’ have been flooded, with food and resources spoiled or washed away. The hygiene aspect becomes the biggest concern with the limited sewage system backing up, causing garbage and waste to back up. Fear is looming as the risk of malaria, cholera, digestive related issues, and typhoid is becoming more real.
What strikes me is that these flooding conditions continue year after year, as the city is seeing normal levels of precipitation. This serves as another example of the immediate need for infrastructure development as a direct requirement of economic growth – be it roads to transport people to work or goods for distribution and sale, an electricity grid that reliably delivers power throughout the day to businesses and manufacturing plants, water and sanitation to keep people healthy. Improving infrastructure can substantially reduce the ‘add on’ costs to doing business and help pave the way for a more productive and competitive business environment, improving trade and therefore, creating employment opportunities.
Now, what will happen if the rain continues…
This entry was posted on Thursday, April 29th, 2010 at 11:40 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.