Dar es Salaam Sewerage System

[BAK]

We may argue all day without consensus, but the truth remains that the so-called premiere city of Dar es Salaam is stinking.

From residential areas to our central business district in Ilala, Kinondoni and Temeke there's nothing we can show visiting neighbours with pride; every place is stinking.

Residents who should be the first to clear the rot have left everything to the city council, whose fathers or mothers are now on long vacation. So, who do we turn to, to clean this dirty city?

Last year, the Forbes Magazine compiled a report of the "25 Most Dirtiest Cities in the World" based on the Mercer Health and Sanitation Index Score – which concluded that Dar es Salaam was the 12th most filthy place.

When such news broke out, Dar es Salaam residents were regrettably filled with anger, complaining why cities like Nairobi were not on the list, considering the presence of what otherwise could be the dirtiest spots such as Mathare and Kibera.

For good measure, Nairobi was among clean cities.All said, the question here is not about the slot that Dar es Salaam city holds – if you read the Forbes Magazine; the matter to address here is the untold level of filth in the city.

The entire Dar es Salaam sewerage system is now completely clogged -- only five years since the so-called city fathers invited a Chinese company to work on it. Everyone knows and, indeed, remembers when the roads were rendered impassable in the central business district even as the Chinese worked to refurbish the sewerage system whose efficiency remains questionable today.

Even hospitals, where people should go and get well are exactly the places where flies find safe heavens to breed; where garbage piles up as people in charge look the other way. In short, everyone is not concerned – including the people we pay to get concerned!

As the city of Dar es Salaam grows, its equally growing numbers of people also put stress on the city's sanitation programmes; there is little to tell if there are any comprehensible plans by all the four councils to address the problem.

On Thursday, Tanzania joined global efforts to mark the climax of the World Environment Day with a special call from Vice-President Dr Gharib Bilal, urging all regions to intensify tree planting, including forming environmental committees.

While the VP's directive is important there is also pressing need for Dar es Salaam city fathers to come up with an affirmative action to deal with this shame as conserving environment goes hand in hand with cleanliness.

We all understand that currently Dar es Salaam now grapples with dangue,an outbreak whose cause is related to dirty environment-thanks to the good news that cases related to the disease are now declining.

Let's ask ourselves: how did we keep Dar es Salaam clean when US President Barack Obama came here? Should we wait for this young man to return so that we do it again?

Someone must have bewitched us – because the environment is not about planting trees only.


Source:THE GUARDIAN

 

[kamojatu]

Shameful!

 

[BAK]

The other problems cited earlier, subjects of real and proposed cynical names, should be addressed as well, for the sake of ensuring that Dar es Salaam isn't referred to as a city by default, and for the residents' and visitors' convenience and comfort.
Consequently, social, economic and political activities grew, and the resultant pressures created problems that gave rise to cynical twists to the name Dar es Salaam.PHOTO|FILE

Shortcomings produce cynical reactions. Dar es Salaam hasn't been spared, and shouldn't. The name, which applies to the city and region, is derived from an Arabic expression that loosely translates as ‘the harbour of peace'.

Over the years, the population of what subsequently became the combination of Tanzania's commercial city and leading region expanded. Consequently, social, economic and political activities grew, and the resultant pressures created problems that gave rise to cynical twists to the name Dar es Salaam.

One of these is ‘Bandar-el-Uchafu', as an expression of the awesome state of filth in the city and its suburbs . Another is ‘Bandar-el-giza', in reference to erratic electricity supply, which subjects the residents to painful periods of darkness.

Why ‘Bandar-el-ujambazi' hasn't emerged as a sign-post for crime may lie in the fact that, the vice isn't rated as being serious enough to warrant that alternate, albeit informal name.

Lately, traffic jams arguably constitute the most headache-some outdoor problem, but then, whoever would come up with ‘Bandar-el-foleni' as its expression could be accused of being overly cynical.

A similar reaction could stem from ‘Bandar-el-mashimo', if it were coined to refer to pot-holed roads ranging from the central business district to the remotest corners.

Yet, if taken in stride, cynicism can – indeed does for those appropriately tuned – help us take serious note of problems and figure out how to resolve them.

Potholes became particularly glaring after the recent heavy rains. It's a strange problem, because, whereas it's easy to explain that a particular bridge was swept away because it couldn't withstand the pressure of a downpour, it's near-impossible to convince even people not too conversant with civil engineering, that, holes, and in some cases craters, are by-products of excess water.

City status at stake

It is apparent that, the poor state of roads reflects shoddy work and corruption; that, some crooks assigned to repair or build major and feeder roads, as well as road reserves, pocket a chunk of funds, meaning, naturally, that workmanship and quality are compromised. Under-funding of projects is also cited as a probable drawback.

Many people are shocked to the point of disbelief, to witness the rapid deterioration of what were technically new roads, or newly-repaired ones only a few months or years ago, which had originally been a source of joy.

Speculations of a corruption link to road construction shouldn't be ignored, as shouldn't reports of some projects being under-funded. Where wrong doing is detected, the culprits should face the music. This is pertinent because, besides worsening traffic jams, potholes render Dar es Salaam's city status hollow, damage vehicles, and cause accidents.

The other problems cited earlier, subjects of real and proposed cynical names, should be addressed as well, for the sake of ensuring that Dar es Salaam isn't referred to as a city by default, and for the residents' and visitors' convenience and comfort.