By Business Insider Correspondent
Tanzania has ordered the urgent completion of flood-protection works along the Lumemo River in Kilombero District, giving the Rufiji Basin Water Board seven days to reinforce an embankment protecting communities from flooding as authorities prepare for anticipated heavy rains.
Minister of State in the Vice-President’s Office responsible for Union and Environment, Eng Hamad Yussuf Masauni, issued the directive during an inspection tour of Kilombero District in Morogoro Region on September 29, 2026.
The approximately 11-kilometre embankment is intended to control water from the Lumemo River, which has repeatedly affected communities in Ipangalala Ward.
Masauni said delays in completing the works could leave residents and infrastructure exposed, particularly given forecasts of heavy rainfall in various parts of the country.
“Human life is far more important than the money we will spend on this area. I am therefore giving those responsible one week to complete the construction because the time available is not favourable, considering the forecast of heavy rains,” Masauni said.
The deadline underscores the economic stakes of flood preparedness in vulnerable areas, where extreme rainfall can damage roads, rail infrastructure, homes and other public assets while disrupting businesses and livelihoods.
Race to reinforce embankment
Kilombero Basin Water Officer Abisai Chilunda said immediate work would focus on sections of the embankment damaged by previous rains.
The intervention will include placing rocks in vulnerable sections and filling with soil areas where the embankment has cracked or been breached.
“We will complete the construction on time as directed by the minister. We will work against the clock by placing rocks in the required areas and filling other sections that had broken with soil,” Chilunda said.
He said the Kilombero Basin authorities have been working with local communities to address vulnerable areas through the construction of embankments and drainage channels designed to improve water flows and reduce flood impacts.
The government is also emphasising community participation as part of its flood-management strategy.
Masauni urged residents to protect the environment by planting trees and avoiding indiscriminate waste disposal, warning that rubbish can block drains and divert water from established channels.
He said blocked drainage systems can increase pressure on surrounding infrastructure and expose private property to damage.
“I would like to emphasise that each one of us must protect our environment by planting trees and avoiding indiscriminate waste disposal, which ultimately blocks drainage channels, diverts water and causes damage to infrastructure,” he said.
Communities urged to leave high-risk areas
The National Environment Management Council (NEMC) has also urged people living in flood-prone valleys and low-lying areas to move to safer locations.
NEMC Director of Compliance and Enforcement Elibariki Bajuta called for an end to indiscriminate tree cutting and urged communities to control the use and disposal of plastic bags.
He said plastic waste contributes significantly to blocked drains and waterways, potentially worsening flooding during periods of intense rainfall.
Masauni said the government was taking several measures to protect communities, but stressed that public awareness and preparedness would be critical in reducing the impact of floods and other disasters.
Infrastructure under scrutiny
The Lumemo River works formed part of a wider inspection of environmentally vulnerable areas and infrastructure across Morogoro Region.
During the tour, Masauni and his delegation inspected the construction area of the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) embankment between Mkundi and Lukobe, the Diwale River in Kichangani Ward, Turiani, the Kikundi River at Dumila, the Mkondoa–Kidete River in Kasiki Ward and the Lumemo River in Ifakara Town Council.
The inspections highlight a broader challenge facing authorities: protecting large public investments and economically important communities from increasingly costly flood damage.
For Kilombero, the immediate test is whether the Lumemo embankment can be reinforced within the seven-day deadline and before heavy rains put the flood defences under renewed pressure. Beyond that deadline, the bigger economic issue is whether investment in drainage, river management and protective infrastructure can move flood management away from repeated emergency repairs towards more durable prevention – protecting both communities and the public assets built to support economic activity.
