(RepublicanDaily.org) – A recent torrent of rainfall in Tanzania has proven extremely deadly after massive flooding and landslides in parts of the country have left more than 150 people dead.
In addition, more than 200 people have been injured, as rains continue to pelt the East African nation. The rains and the accompanying strong winds, attributed to a more intense El Nino climate phenomenon, have also damaged roads, bridges, crops, and other critical infrastructure and resources in the country. Close to a quarter of a million people are estimated to have been negatively impacted by the adverse weather conditions in the country, with officials estimating that around 10,000 homes have been destroyed. Many schools have also suspended classes, and the country’s emergency and disaster response teams have had to mount multiple rescues of people stranded by raging floodwaters.
The rains have been the most intense in the country’s capital, Dar es Salaam, as well as Tanzania’s coastal cities and regions.
The El Nino phenomenon typically results in significantly more rain, but also much hotter temperatures and drought in some areas.
According to the country’s Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa, the effect of Tanzania’s rains has been exacerbated by a lack of care towards the environment. Largely unregulated logging practices, as well as destructive “slash and burn” farming, are still practiced in the country, along with unfettered livestock grazing.
Tanzania’s neighboring country, Kenya, has also been affected by rains. The UN OCHR, or the United Nations’ Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs estimate that around 32 people from Kenya have died as a result of flooding. The country has also reported much more rainfall in recent weeks, with torrential rains beginning around mid-March, which have intensified even more over the last few days. Roughly 103,000 Kenyans are said to be dealing with the devastation wrought by the seemingly endless downpour, with the country’s Red Cross arm reporting that it has had to launch 108 rescue missions since the rains began.
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