60bn/- deal to secure Dar airspace

From Daily News, Dar es Salaam
By JIMMY LWANGILI

TANZANIA Civil Aviation Authority (TCAA) and the government yesterday signed a 61bn/- deal for the purchase of four radars.Under the deal, over 10bn/- which could have been spent if the money was sourced from commercial banks will be saved, according to Works, Transport and Communication Minister Professor Makame Mbarawa.

Speaking at a brief signing ceremony, Professor Mbarawa said the government and TCAA would contribute 55 and 45 per cent, respectively, of the total costs. He said the envisaged four radars would be installed in four airports within an 18-month period.

The minister named the radar beneficiaries as Julius Nyerere International Airport in Dar es Salaam, Songwe Airport in Mbeya, Kilimanjaro International Airport and Mwanza International Airport.

He ordered Thales Air System SS, an engineering firm that has won tender to execute the project, to ensure that the project is complete within the specified time and at high precision.

“I believe TCAA will honestly and patriotically supervise the project implementation... I urge the contractors to work as per contract specifications.If you deliver contrary to specifications, the government will terminate the contract and subject you to fines,” warned the minister. He underscored the importance of purchasing the new radars, arguing that they will strengthen safety and aviation security, increasing revenues through attraction of more airliners in the country’s airspace.

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New Mwanza abattoir set to reduce environmental pollution

From Daily News, Dar es Salaam
By DEUS NGOWI in Moshi

FOUL-SMELLING had been the order of the day for years at Nyakato Industrial Area, about nine kilometres from the shores of Lake Victoria and about eight kilometres from Mwanza City centre along Musoma Road.

The cause of the smell was the presence of the Mwanza city abattoir with its inadequate and outdated facilities and equipment for proper operation. Generally, there was air pollution and a filthy environment. The effect of such pollution was so huge that it did not only end to nearby areas, but also went as far as to Lake Victoria affecting a lot of people. Lake Victoria is the source of River Nile, the lifeline of millions of people in Africa.

To redress the situation, Mwanza City Council thought of a project that would bring an end to the problem of pollution. Due to financial constraints, Mwanza city authorities collaborated with other stakeholders to attain the target – meeting international standards in health and environmental levels.

The council teamed up with the Lake Victoria Environmental Management Project (LVEMP) undertaken by East Africa Community member states of Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi.

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Search, rescue plan in marine transport

From Daily News, Dar es Salaam
By Daily News Reporter

THE months of May, July, and September arguably arouse bad memories for some people, particularly those who lost their loved ones in marine accidents that claimed more than 2,000 lives in Lake Victoria and in two separate incidents in Zanzibar.

Although there have been several marine accidents, mainly involving small sea vessels including fishing boats, the ‘bad memories’ revolve around huge marine disasters that include MV Bukoba, carrying more than 1,000 passengers and cargo, which overturned and sank in Lake Victoria, half an hour before docking at Mwanza Port on May, 21, 1996.

MV Spice Islander I, a passenger ferry carrying over 2,000 passengers that sank off the coast of Zanzibar on September 10, 2011 was another sea tragedy followed by the sinking of MV Skagit, with more than 290 people aboard and cargo on July 19th 2012.

Every year different events are organised to remember those who died in the accidents, with repeated calls to improve sea transportation, mainly calling for accountability and strengthening of sea transport regulations.

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