Summary:
Heavy rains caused flash floods in Morogoro region, located approximately 270 kilometres West of Dar Es Salaam, between 22nd and 23rd January, 2014. The rains which fell upstream in the regions of Tanga, Dodoma and Manyara overwhelmed the river banks downstream, especially Mkundi river, resulting in disastrous flash floods in three districts of Morogoro region, namely, Kilosa, Mvomero and Gairo.
Kilosa district was the most affected with 1,865 households displaced. In Mvomero district 222 households were displaced and 10 households were displaced in Gairo district. In all three districts a total of 2,097 households (over 10,000 people) were displaced. In Kilosa district 4 wards were affected, namely, Magole, Dumila, Msowero and Kitete. Magole ward was the most affected particularly the village of Magole and Mateteni sub-village in Mbigiri village.
Apart from population displacements, the flash floods caused extensive damages to physical infrastructure (roads, bridges), public buildings (schools, religious buildings), and crop fields. In the worst affected district of Kilosa 500 houses were destroyed either completely or partially, leaving the occupants of these houses homeless. Hundreds of other houses were flooded with muddy water destroying all the belongings therein.
A key bridge on the highway that links Dar es Salaam and other regions in the Central and West Tanzania was washed away by the floods leaving thousands of road travellers stranded for three days before the government restored the service after commissioning a temporary/emergency bridge.