By Zephania Ubwani
The Citizen Bureau Chief
 Arusha. The controversy surrounding the proposed tarmac road across the Serengeti National Park, took a new twist yesterday when tour operators came out to strongly oppose it.The Tanzania Association of Tour Operators (Tato), a powerful lobby group for local tour companies, said the road would impact negatively on the tourism industry.

Instead, it proposed an alternative route for the highway through the southern fringes of the Serengeti, the most famous game park in the country whose protection, it insists, should not be compromised. Tato executive secretary Mustapha Akunaay, said in a statement issued here that they were opposed to the construction of the paved road through the park on ecological grounds.

"The proposed road would pass through the ecologically fragile section of the park which is also a migratory route for animals," he said.  Mr Akunaay, who is also the Mbulu MP on Chadema ticket, faulted the government for ordering environmental impact assessment of the project after a decision had been reached to go ahead with it. 

He stated that a tarmac road across the Serengeti would lead to increased human activities in the park which is also one of the important world's natural heritage sites. However, the government has said doesn’t plan to tarmac the section which goes through the national park.

Tarmacing the section, according to him, could impact severely on the wild animals habitats "and eventually lead to the famous Serengeti to lose the ecological niche it is famous for in the world." There was also a likelihood of increased poaching of wild animals in the area which has been a matter of concern for conservation experts despite sustained efforts to contain the menace.

"Eventually this will lead to dropping number of tourists visiting the area, a situation that will certainly impact on the economy," lamented the official. He implored  the government to find an alternative route to construct a tarmac road that will link Arusha with Mara region instead of the one through the northern section of the Serengeti.

 Tato and other conservation stakeholders have suggested the intended road should start from Karatu and pass through Mbulu and Haydom, link up to Meatu in Shinyanga and eventually to Musoma.The route Tato is proposing would not only avoid environmental degradation of the Serengeti, but also open up the remote areas of Karatu, Mbulu, Iramba (Singida) and Meatu for development.
 
Mr Akunaay, a lawyer-cum-politician and at the helm of Tato for over 20 years, said his organisation has the support of several bodies, including the Tanzania Confederation of Tourism (TCT).
 
The statement by the tourism lobby group comes only days after the World Bank said it was ready to help Tanzania in financing the alternative route for the road to link Arusha and Mara regions.There have been fears that the country's resolve to build the road could deny the country substantial foreign aid from development partners which are also supporting conservation programmes.
 
The German government recently expressed concern on the project and warned the Tanzania government that construction of the road could make Serengeti NP lose its outstanding universal value.President Jakaya Kikwete has consistently stated that the construction of the controversial road would go ahead despite opposition from environmental activists and wildlife scientists.
 
The 400 km-plus road will cost an estimated $ 480 million (about Sh.372 billion. Actual tarmacing will be from Mto wa Mbu in Monduli District, through to Loliondo (Ngorongoro) and then across the Serengeti to Musoma.However, the government has insisted that the 53 km portion across the Serengeti would not be paved, a measure aimed to preserve natural conditions there.

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