UMASIKINI UNAVYOENDELEA KUTUMALIZA !

UPENDO HARTSUIKER, 29th March 2009 @ 00:11 Daily NewsThe bridge along the new Bagamoyo Road before Tanki Bovu, Kinondoni District in Dar es Salaam region has started to show signs of collapsing, bringing concern to residents living near or around the river bank. This has been accelerated by the continued excavation of sand by young men who excavate sand for sale and earn a living. The sand reserves in Mbagala and Bagamoyo are reported to be depleted and sand contractors have nowhere else to go. And sand contractors find themselves desperate for a place to get the raw material for construction purposes. The rivers banks are the definite locations one can find sand for construction purposes. Mr Iddi Mvule who has been excavating sand at the river bank for the past five years said he was aware of the dangers of their continued excavating sand in the river, but said that was the only things people of his ‘uneducated’ calibre could do. He admits at times police make regular visits to the site and what they do is just flee to avoid being caught, only to return later. But the residents along the river bank have another story to tell. Talking to one Mrs Rita Gasper, she says that she never thought her life would be put into danger when she moved to the area some eight years ago. “Half of my plot has been eroded, and now my house is right on the edge, and I do not know what will happen when rains start,” she said with concern during interview with the 'Sunday News' this week. Asked for comment on what she has done so far regarding her present situation, she said the local government was aware of the problem for a long time. She said: “I remember in 2003 some people from the then Ministry of Land came, looked around and said that they would fix this problem as soon as the rainy season ended. But it has been six years now and the situation is getting worse. The officials have never come back.” Mrs Gasper believes that the police could do more by ensuring 24-hour surveillance on the area. She said she has witnessed several times where the police would show up in broad day light and leave within 30 minutes. The men would return later and continue with their business. “I do not know what kind of game they are playing, but they just come here to collect fee, to me there is no such thing as the police trying to stop this situation, no such thing,” she charged.