Dar residents demolish own houses to give way for new Ruvu pipeline
HUNDREDS of Dar es Salaam residents had voluntarily demolished homes and structures illegally built over a water pipeline built in 1976.
The Dar es Salaam Water and Sewerage Authority (Dawasa) said "some people decided to build houses illegally on top of this old Upper Ruvu pipeline now that we are laying a new pipe, we have to demolish their houses without compensation”.
Dawasa on Tuesday threatened to pull down residential and commercial structures illegally built on the reserve, but when it dawned yesterday, the invaders started demolishing the structures themselves.
Dawasa was therefore prompted to delay the action, sources from the authority said.
At Kimara alone, almost 300 structures had been illegally built near the Dawasa’s storage tanks. Hundreds of similar structures had been built within the infrastructure stretching all the way from Mlandizi in Coast Region to tDar es Salaam , Dawasa said.
Speaking to this paper at Kimara Mwisho yesterday, 67-year-old Maria Mangweshi, who owns a business premise which doubles as residence said voluntary demolition was the best option
“The city bulldozers will leave only heaps of rubble which will be of no use,” she said. The mother of four, Mangweshi, had also alerted Tanesco technicians who were also at the site to safely disconnect power.
Another resident Semeni Ndumbo looked even more proactive. After learning of the looming demolitions by Dawasa, she began to remove the construction materials of her house on Monday lest the Dawasa bulldozers turn everything into debris.
All the blocks and corrugated iron sheets plus all house wares were safely kept out of the danger zone waiting for Dawasa to start its work .
The only problem is that, together with her family of seven including children and grand children, she now spends her nights in the cold.
Seif Saleh, who had been living in the area since the 1970s, was halfway in his attempt to construct his house before the worst happened. Though he agreed that the structures are illegal, he laments the fact that it was inhumane to chase him away without any compensation living there for decades.
The Dar es Salaam Water and Sewerage Authority (Dawasa) said "some people decided to build houses illegally on top of this old Upper Ruvu pipeline now that we are laying a new pipe, we have to demolish their houses without compensation”.
Dawasa on Tuesday threatened to pull down residential and commercial structures illegally built on the reserve, but when it dawned yesterday, the invaders started demolishing the structures themselves.
Dawasa was therefore prompted to delay the action, sources from the authority said.
At Kimara alone, almost 300 structures had been illegally built near the Dawasa’s storage tanks. Hundreds of similar structures had been built within the infrastructure stretching all the way from Mlandizi in Coast Region to tDar es Salaam , Dawasa said.
Speaking to this paper at Kimara Mwisho yesterday, 67-year-old Maria Mangweshi, who owns a business premise which doubles as residence said voluntary demolition was the best option
“The city bulldozers will leave only heaps of rubble which will be of no use,” she said. The mother of four, Mangweshi, had also alerted Tanesco technicians who were also at the site to safely disconnect power.
Another resident Semeni Ndumbo looked even more proactive. After learning of the looming demolitions by Dawasa, she began to remove the construction materials of her house on Monday lest the Dawasa bulldozers turn everything into debris.
All the blocks and corrugated iron sheets plus all house wares were safely kept out of the danger zone waiting for Dawasa to start its work .
The only problem is that, together with her family of seven including children and grand children, she now spends her nights in the cold.
Seif Saleh, who had been living in the area since the 1970s, was halfway in his attempt to construct his house before the worst happened. Though he agreed that the structures are illegal, he laments the fact that it was inhumane to chase him away without any compensation living there for decades.
