Kigoma/Mwanza — It is good news to hydrologists yet a bad one to house-holds and establishments near Tanzania’s major lakes.
While floods which first appeared early last year are reported to have displaced over 200,000 people close to Lake Victoria in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, in Kigoma, some 60 households have been displaced.
Those affected the most are residents of Mgumile Street in Kigoma Ujiji. The Lake Victoria Basin Com- mission says the water body rose to a new record level of 13.42 metre marginally higher than the 13.41 metre mark recorded in 1964.
But to the lake Victoria Basin Water Board (LVBWB) public relations officer, Mr Gerald Itimbula, a rise in water lev- els was a boon to economic activities such as irrigation agriculture, fishing, transportation, livestock keeping and industrial production.
Buildings, including tourist hotels such as Tilapia, Ryan’s Bay and Malai- ka in Mwanza have surrendered to rising water level in Lake Victoria.
Mostly affected are Shede (alias Mitatu), Mswahili, Mkuyuni and Butimba streets in Nyamagana and Igombe “A” in Ilemela districts.
