Tanzania Allocates 136.2 Billion TZS for Road Infrastructure Rehabilitation Following El Nino Rains

During the presentation of the Government's Main Budget for 2024/2025 at the Parliament in Dodoma on May 13, 2024, the Minister of Finance, Dr. Mwigulu Nchemba, disclosed that a total of 136.2 billion Tanzanian Shillings has been disbursed through the Tanzania National Roads Agency (TANROADS) and the Rural and Urban Roads Agency (TARURA) to restore the deteriorated state of roads and bridges significantly affected by the El Nino rainfall.

Dr. Mwigulu assured Tanzanians that the Government will continue to allocate funds for the rehabilitation of damaged infrastructure. He directed all relevant institutions involved in infrastructure construction to ensure that project designs take into account climate change adaptations.

He explained that since the onset of the El Nino rains in September 2023, coupled with Cyclone Hidaya, various national roads in 26 regions have been impacted. Among these, 68 roads were impassable, 106 experienced difficulties in accessibility, and 168 were affected but still passable with difficulty after emergency repairs.

"The affected areas on these roads are estimated to cover approximately 520 kilometers, and about 189 bridges and culverts were either destroyed or severely damaged," Dr. Mwigulu stated.

Furthermore, Dr. Mwigulu added that the assessment conducted indicates that the cost of restoring this infrastructure amounts to 1.07 trillion TZS. Out of this, 728 billion TZS is allocated for repairing the road infrastructure to return them to their original state.