Controversial World Heritage Site hydro plant faces fresh scrutiny after Tanzania floods

By Kizito Makoye

DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania (AA) – It was just before dawn on April 8 when Zainab Ngwali was woken up by a frantic phone call.

On the other end was her aunt, her voice trembling as she delivered the chilling news: their village nestled along the Rufiji River valley, some 185 kilometers (115 miles) from Tanzania’s commercial hub Dar es Salaam, was being engulfed by floods.

In a moment, Ngwali’s life plunged into a desperate struggle for survival.

“The water rushed into my home, destroying everything,” Ngwali recalls.

Clutching her youngest child, the 35-year-old mother of three fled her home in Chumbi village, wading through rising floodwaters with her other children in tow.

“The water came in so fast. We barely had time to salvage anything, not even cooking pots,” she told Anadolu.

For years, the threat of flooding had loomed over the residents of Rufiji, but Ngwali never imagined her own family would fall victim to its fury.

The disaster claimed nearly half a dozen lives, swallowing hundreds of homes and destroying vast swaths of farmland.

Across the region, almost 127,000 people in Rufiji, Kisarawe and Kibiti districts have been displaced by recent floods, according to government figures.

The disaster was caused by the discharge of water from the Julius Nyerere Hydropower Plant (JNHHP), a controversial project built on a river that runs through the Selous Game Reserve, a UN-designated World Heritage Site.

Critics have long voiced concerns about the project, specifically about the irreversible damage it would cause to the ecosystem of the park, home to significant numbers of elephants, black rhinos and cheetahs.

Another issue repeatedly raised was the livelihoods of more than 200,000 people who live downstream, for whom the danger became all too real with the recent floods.

- Boon turned bane?

The first plans for the JNHHP were made in the 1970s, according to Mobhare Matinyi, a government spokesperson and director of Tanzania’s Information Services.

With a projected capacity of 2,115 megawatts, it was actually a pivotal stride toward unlocking Tanzania’s hydroelectric potential, and its dam – the Stiegler’s Gorge Hydropower Dam – has been crucial in preventing more flooding, he said.

When the El Nino rains poured down last October, the dam’s expansive reservoir, spanning 1,194 square kilometers (461 square miles), stored vast quantities of water, regulating flood hazards in the Rufiji River basin, Matinyi told Anadolu.

However, after the recent destruction, critics are again questioning the government’s decision to pursue electricity generation at the expense of human lives.

The government claims heavy rains caused the reservoir to fill up at unexpected pace, forcing the Tanzania Electric Supply Company (TANESCO) to discharge excess water to prevent damage.

Matinyi said evacuation alerts were issued for people in flood-prone areas, but many disregarded the advisories.

“The citizens were duly notified by authorities to vacate their homes, but they did not want to leave. Some of them even said they were used to living with water,” he said.

Others are not buying these claims, saying they are just part of the government’s attempt to shift the blame.

“This is not a natural disaster. The floods were caused by the government’s reckless decision to construct this dam,” said Husna Sungura, a local politician from Tanzania’s ACT-Wazalendo party.

“They must take full responsibility for the misery they have caused, and compensate all those who have been affected.”

- ‘Left with absolutely nothing’

Abdul Chobo, a ward councilor in Muhoro, one of the impacted areas, said there were warnings from the Tanzania Meteorological Agency and TANESCO, but many residents “did not have the financial means to evacuate.”

Damian Mrosso, a Muhoro resident, pointed to the yawning digital divide that leaves many villagers without access to vital information.

“Many of us never got the warning about the floods. They announced it on television and social media, but few people here have access to TVs or smartphones,” he said.

Thousands of displaced people are now in emergency shelters, where they are facing new dangers such as hunger and disease outbreaks.

“Many do not have enough food and water … and there is a need for urgent measures to prevent outbreaks of cholera and other diseases,” Chobo told Anadolu.

Ngwali and her children are among those living in makeshift shelters, relying on government aid and charity of strangers.

“We are left with nothing. Absolutely nothing,” she said.

“We are grateful for whatever assistance we have received, but it’s obviously not enough.”