Govt secures Sh3.2bn for building Pangani sea wall
A man stands along the wall built to prevent soil erosion on River Pangani banks in Tanga Region. The Vice President’s Office (Union and Environment) has recently renovated the wall and assured residents of the township that the construction of another concrete wall to forestall massive soil erosion caused by sea waves would begin next month. PHOTO | COUTESSY
What you need to know:
The deputy minister of State in the Vice President’s Office (Union and Environment), Mr Luhaga Mpina, told Pangani residents that the government had secured over Sh3.2 billion for the project, of which Sh1.3 billion was a contribution from development partners.
Tanga. The government has assured residents of Pangani that construction of a concrete wall to protect the town from massive soil erosion caused by sea waves will start in April.
The deputy minister of State in the Vice President’s Office (Union and Environment), Mr Luhaga Mpina, told Pangani residents that the government had secured over Sh3.2 billion for the project, of which Sh1.3 billion was a contribution from development partners.
The minister explained that the work was expected to commence by April this year, as tenders for the task had already been floated and that a successful bidder would be known by end of this month.
Mr Mpina said the 1,400-metre fort would extend to as far as the old Pangadeco Hotel via the Tanzania Ports Authority offices before reaching the crossway where the ocean meets the Pangani River. He told cheering Pangani residents that the government had been touched by the peoples’ concern over the rapid soil erosion caused by the sea, promising that more efforts would be made to avert the growing danger facing the township.
In another development, the deputy minister closed down a cement factory and issued a three-month notice of a similar action to a milk plant for health hazards.
He also gave a three-month grace period to Tanga Fresh milk factory at Kange for it to construct an affluent treatment plant while announcing the closure of Rhino Cement factory situated at Maweni, for excessive pollution.
Mr Mpina, who was accompanied by officials from the National Environment Management Council, announced the closure after a lengthy inspection of the two factories only to find that they were operating in an unacceptable environment.
