Rombo rock blast victims yet to be compensated
By Valentine Marc Nkwame
The fate of the victims who suffered losses due to the massive rock blast in
Tarakea division of Rombo District, in Kilimanjaro region, is still hanging in
the balance because until this week the about 60 families whose residential
houses were destroyed by the blast were not yet compensated.
The firm responsible for the destructive blast, is China Construction Company (SIETCO)
which early this month, rendered 600 people in Mwetamburu village in Tarakea,
homeless after exploding the giant and legendary, Mwetamburu rock, resulting
into destruction of 60 residential houses, farm crops and killing a number of
domestic animals in the area.
The powerful blast, which also reduced to dust the Tarakea Women Association (TAWOSA)
owned Sawmill factory in the precinct, was the result of the company's attempt
to extract gravel from the giant rock to be used in the on-going construction of
the 37kilometre- long, Kamwanga-
Rongai road project being implemented in Rombo district, Kilimanjaro region.
Expressing her anguish and that of other victims recently, the TAWOSA group
project Manager, Euchmia Tarimo was worried of the delay in SIETCO effecting
compensation.
According to her, a team of building evaluators from Moshi town visited her
factory two weeks ago, promising to return (to Rombo) with developments
regarding their compensation money, but until this week nothing more was to be
heard from them.
"The blast actually caused an intolerable damage to our project," she said.
According to the TAWOSA manager, the destruction which totally demolished their
factory, had cost them over Tsh.100 million. She however added that, it would
now cost her association more than that amount to rebuild the Sawmill.
"We earlier on learned that some few explosion victims, particularly those whose
residential houses got destroyed in the ordeal, have been compensated by SIETCO,
however, as far as we are concerned, nothing has been done to pay for our loss,"
Tarimo explained.
Following the incident, the Tarakea Women Association has shelved all other
group undertakings to focus their energy in finding ways of restoring the
defunct Sawmill.
No human casualties were reported from the disaster, but the area reportedly
suffered serious property damage. Most buildings in the immediate neighborhood
were destroyed and so were banana farms as well as coffee plantations. A number
of trees got uprooted, while various domestic animals were killed in the
incident.
Speaking after the incident the Rombo District commissioner, Raymond Mushi, said
all the affected people were to be immediately compensated. This was further
insisted by the area MP Basil Pesambili Mramba who is also the Minister for
Finance. The DC ordered the Tanzania Road Agency (TANROADS) to evaluate the
extent of the damage in order to see how the victims could be compensated by the
construction company, SIETCO
"It was about 5:00pm on Friday September 9. when the SIETCO experts detonated
the explosion to blast the rock at Mwetamburu, so as to get construction
material," reported one of the victims, Norah Anthony Richard a resident of the
area and one of the victims.
Commissioning of construction work, for the 37 kilometer Rongai-Kamwanga road
project, was officiated by President Benjamin Mkapa, late last August and it was
estimated to cost the Tanzanian Government a total of Tsh.14.42 billion.
The upgrading of the Tarakea-Rongai-Kamwanga road section, which went into
operation since October 2004 was to take 24 months until its final
accomplishment. This was to be part of the 90 Kilometer long Marangu-Tarakea
road construction intended to be carried out in the area.
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