Mwanza moves before El Niño rains turn roads, bridges and homes into disaster zones

MWANZA: WHEN heavy rains arrive, the difference between disruption and disaster is often determined long before the first drops fall. For Mwanza, where roads, bridges, drainage systems, businesses and farms can all face the consequences of intense rainfall, preparations for the anticipated El Niño conditions are already gathering momentum.

Authorities responsible for road infrastructure are putting preventive measures in place, seeking to ensure that the region’s transport network remains passable while communities are encouraged to take responsibility for protecting their surroundings.

At the centre of the preparations is greater community participation in maintaining roads. Through the Tanzania Rural and Urban Roads Agency (TARURA), community groups are being engaged to undertake minor road rehabilitation and routine maintenance, including clearing waterways, cutting vegetation and removing obstructions that can prevent rainwater from flowing freely. The initiative is being implemented under the World Banksponsored Community-Based Routine Maintenance (CBRM) project.

The programme targets at least 150 groups in every council, with approximately 10m/- allocated to each group. To participate, groups must be registered with their respective councils and the National eProcurement System of Tanzania (NeST), creating a formal framework through which communities can participate in maintaining infrastructure while earning income.

Mwanza Regional TARURA Manager, Engineer Makori Kisare, explained that the groups are provided with basic working tools, including hoes, slashers and brooms, enabling them to undertake activities necessary to keep roads and drainage channels functional. The project is currently being piloted in Ukerewe, Kwimba and Buchosa councils, where five groups have initially been established in each council.

“The project is still at the pilot stage, initially involving Ukerewe, Kwimba and Buchosa councils, each of which has provided five groups,” Kisare said.

The approach offers an important advantage beyond physical maintenance. By involving residents directly, it encourages a sense of ownership, making communities more likely to protect infrastructure and identify problems before they become costly emergencies.

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Kisare said the contracts run for between three and six months, with payments made through the groups’ bank accounts after TARURA verifies that the agreed work has been satisfactorily completed. A similar employment arrangement is also available through registered contractors. Unlike CBRM, which engages organised groups, contractors recruit qualified individuals to undertake small projects.

“Under this arrangement, contractors identify qualified citizens to implement small projects. The contract period is similar to that of the CBRM programme,” he said.

While infrastructure receives attention, public awareness is another important line of defence. Through its social welfare department, TARURA is visiting residents in flood-prone areas to encourage them to take precautions ahead of the expected rains. Schools are also being brought into the campaign. Primary and secondary school pupils receive information that they can pass on to their families and wider communities.

Such an approach recognises that disaster preparedness is most effective when knowledge reaches households before an emergency occurs. Another campaign, known as “Mtaro Sijalala”, focuses particularly on sanitation and the protection of urban drainage systems. The campaign addresses the practice of dumping waste in waterways or piling rubbish on top of drains. When such waste is burned, the heat can damage the structure of drainage channels, leaving them more vulnerable to destruction when heavy rains arrive.

“If waste is not dumped inside the drains, it is sometimes piled on top and burned. The fire damages the drainage layers, making them easier for rainwater to sweep away,” Kisare explained.

The preparations extend beyond routine maintenance to major infrastructure improvements. During the previous financial year, TARURA implemented about 56 road projects using a budget of approximately 24bn/-.

These included major rehabilitation of Uhuru Bridge, drainage and culvert works at Mlango Mmoja and overlay works on Rufiji Road. A similar budget has been allocated for the current financial year. Among the priority projects are the Mkuyuni-Mahina-Nile Perch Road and the IlemelaIgombe-Kisesa road.

The Tanzania National Roads Agency (TANROADS) is also strengthening preparedness. Emergency steel poles have been positioned to facilitate rapid restoration of communications and road infrastructure should sections be washed away.

TANROADS Head of the Maintenance Department, Engineer Ramadhani Majaliwa, said the agency was doing everything possible to ensure that rainfall does not unnecessarily prevent motorists from completing their journeys. Contractors are already working at various locations, clearing culverts and related infrastructure. Road canals are also being excavated, particularly along rough roads, including Furo-Nyambiti-Malya and Isandula-Bukwimba-Ngudu-Jojilo, which connect different parts of Magu and Kwimba districts.

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Other roads receiving attention include Kamanga-Katunguru and the Sengerema-Nyamazugo-Nyehunge tarmac road. Mwanza has approximately 1,174.5 kilometres of road network, about 857 kilometres of which are unpaved. Keeping this network passable during periods of heavy rainfall is therefore not simply an infrastructure responsibility; it is essential for communities, businesses, farmers and emergency services.

“Other roads include Kamanga-Katunguru and the Sengerema-Nyamazugo-Nyehunge tarmac road. Mwanza has about 1,174.5 kilometres of roads, of which approximately 857 kilometres are unpaved. The government is committed to ensuring they remain passable,” Majaliwa said. Previous investments are also expected to reduce vulnerability. Last year, TANROADS undertook major rehabilitation of the 26.1-metre Mabatini Bridge at a cost of more than 6bn/-, alongside work on the more than 10-metre Mkuyuni Bridge, costing about 5.5bn/-.

The works included raising and widening the bridges, among other improvements, to increase their resilience against heavy rainfall and rising water levels. However, residents argue that infrastructure improvements must anticipate how interventions in one location may affect pressure elsewhere. Residents welcomed the rehabilitation of Uhuru Bridge, recalling how businesses were affected when water left its normal course and entered shops during rainy periods.

But concerns remain about a nearby bridge on Nkurumah Road that has yet to receive similar renovation. Resident John Maduka said the two bridges were historically of a similar design and both were affected by the Milongo River. He warned that improving one bridge could increase pressure on the other if the surrounding drainage system is not addressed comprehensively.

“Both bridges are located where the Milongo River crosses the roads and were previously of similar design. If Uhuru Bridge has now been raised, we believe the other bridge could face greater pressure. It therefore needs immediate assessment and a solution,” he said.

Another resident, Editha Isaya, welcomed the rehabilitation of Mabatini Bridge but urged TANROADS to consider widening the banks of the Milongo River to create more space for passing rainwater. Such concerns underline a broader lesson: Protecting roads and bridges cannot be separated from protecting drainage channels, waterways and the communities surrounding them.

TANROADS has consequently urged residents, particularly those living on hills, to maintain proper sanitation and stop disposing of waste in waterways. During rainy seasons, rubbish dumped upstream can be swept onto major roads, blocking infrastructure and worsening flooding.

Motorists have also been advised to exercise patience during heavy rainfall. If water covers a road, drivers should stop and wait until conditions improve rather than risk their lives by attempting to cross. The Tanzania Meteorological Authority (TMA) raised the alarm in May over the possibility of El Niño, urging the public to take precautions against potential impacts on people and property.

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According to TMA, areas potentially affected include parts of the Lake Zone, particularly Mara, as well as Dar es Salaam, Tanga, Morogoro, Lindi, Mtwara and the Coast region, including Mafia Island, Unguja and Pemba. Some northeastern highland areas are also expected to experience rainfall.

For Mwanza, the message is increasingly clear: Preparedness must come before rainfall, not after disaster. Keeping drains clear, strengthening bridges, maintaining roads, educating communities and responding to forecasts can reduce the damage caused by extreme weather.

El Niño may be a natural climatic phenomenon, but the scale of its impact can be influenced by human preparedness. Mwanza’s best defence, therefore, is not simply stronger infrastructure, but informed communities willing to protect it before the rains arrive.