Floods have killed 58 people in Tanzania over the last two weeks, spurring the East African country to seek an answer in major infrastructure projects.
The government announced the death toll late on Sunday as heavy rains continued to lash the country. April marks the peak of Tanzania’s rainy season, and it has been exacerbated this year by the El Nino phenomenon, which has caused droughts and floods across the globe.
“From April 1 to April 14, 2024, there were 58 deaths caused by the heavy rains, which led to flooding,” government spokesman Mobhare Matinyi told a press briefing, stressing that the country’s coastal region was one of the worst affected.
“Serious flood effects are experienced in the coast region where 11 people have so far died,” he added.
Tanzania has plans to construct 14 dams to prevent flooding in future, the spokesman said.
Just four months ago, at least 63 people were killed during floods in northern Tanzania that also triggered devastating landslides.
Credit: aljazeera.com
