DAR ES SALAAM, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- The Tanzania Meteorological Authority (TMA) on Wednesday renewed alert over heavy rains beginning Thursday through Friday.
A weather forecast released by TMA said the rains were expected in Dar es Salaam, Coast, Tanga and Zanzibar's twin Islands of Unguja and Pemba.
The forecast indicated that houses in some parts of the regions could be submerged by flash floods, adding that infrastructure could also be damaged.
On October 4, TMA issued an alert over heavy rains in four regions of Dar es Salaam, Coast, Tanga and Zanzibar.
In May 2019, uninterrupted rainfall caused serious flooding in Dar es Salaam, resulting in the displacement of over 1,000 households and the destruction of more than 1,500 dwellings and important infrastructure.
This was only the latest on a growing list of flood events that have struck the city in recent years, emphasizing the urgent need to mitigate flood risk through sustainable development.
On Tuesday, police said at least 11 people, including five pupils, were killed by ongoing heavy rains in Tanzania's eastern region of Morogoro.
Wilbroad Mutafungwa, the Morogoro regional commissioner, said the five pupils drowned in a flooded river as they crossed while going home from school.
Last week, Solomon Mwangamilo, in charge of Tanga region traffic police, said the ongoing heavy rains have damaged roads and submerged bridges in some parts of the east African country.
The highway connecting the commercial capital Dar es Salaam and upcountry regions to the north was temporarily closed on Saturday after a bridge was submerged in Coast region, said Mwangamilo.
Last week, the Tanzania Meteorological Authority said the country will experience heavy rains that might cause floods leading to disease outbreaks in at least 13 administrative regions. Enditem
