Govt orders 3 towers razed in the wake of Friday building collapse

BAK · 2013-04-01T14:53:30+00:00

By Elisha Magolanga Dar es Salaam As the death toll occasioned by the collapse last Friday of a high-rise building along Indira Gandhi Street in Dar es Salaam reached 25 by mid-day yesterday, the government ordered a demolition of three structures close to the ill-fated one over safety concerns. The three buildings, property of the National Housing Corporation (NHC) used for residential and commercial purposes were damaged as the 16-storey structure came tumbling down. The Dar es Salaam Regional Commissioner Said Meck Sadick told reporters at the disaster site yesterday that the demolition order has been issued in consultations with the NHC after an assessment indicated that the buildings may also collapse anytime. Director general of HNC Nehemiah Mchechu confirmed to The Citizen of receiving the demolition order from the government and said NHC will immediately commission the flattening after the tenants have been evacuated. "The buildings, located near the site of the disaster, have developed cracks and we believe they can't be safe. They are quite old, anyway," Mr Mchechu said without stating the age of the now-condemned buildings. He said the demolition will give NHC the opportunity to put up more modern structures. For his part, the RC said the process of recovering bodies from the site was to be terminated yesterday because only a small amount of rubble remained. Failure to learn from past mistakes The collapse of the 16-storey building on Friday was the second such incident this year and the fourth in a span of seven years. Early last month, a four-storey residential building at Sinza kwa Mori, in Kinondoni Municipality collapsed but there were no human casualties. On Friday March 17, 2006 a four-storey annex building to the Village Hotel in Chang'ombe in the city collapsed killing at least four people instantly. The building was nearing completion and when it collapsed the rubble trapped workmen who were doing finishing work on the upper floors of the annex building. As the construction was ongoing, lower storeys were already occupied by tenants. The ground floor had a bar, but customers escaped in the nick of time before the whole structure tumbled to the ground. Two years later, on June 21, 2008, a ten-storey building under construction on Mtendeni Street at the city centre collapsed killing one person and injuring several others. Experts say substandard construction materials and negligence of contractors are largely to blame for the tragedies. This was corroborated by the NCCR-Mageuzi chairman James Mbatia, who yesterday pointed an accusing finger to Tanzania Bureau of Standards (TBS) for failure to control the quality of construction materials. "Most of the building materials like cement and iron bars presently are not in good standards. TBS should be blamed because it is responsible for monitoring the quality," he stressed. He urged the government to carry out reforms in institutions that are failing in their duties. The government has been blamed for disregarding recommendations by a special committee formed in the past to assess the quality of all major buildings in Dar es Salaam. Anger also stems from the fact that no serious action has been taken against those who were responsible for disasters like that of Friday along the Indira Gandhi Street. Critics are of the view that government laxity gives the leeway to crooks in the construction industry to act criminally. In June 2008, Prime Minister Mizengo Pinda remarked: "I have read the report today and it has some shocking findings.'' That was in reference to the collapse of a ten-storey structure along Mtendeni Street in Dar es Salaam which left three people dead. One of the key findings of the committee was that mushrooming storey building in the city and other parts of the country had been built illegally, without adhering to construction rules and regulations. The report revealed that some greedy contractors and their clients were using unqualified personnel to supervise construction works. The ratio of construction materials, including cement, sand, iron steel, electrical and others did not match required standards, said the report. Construction experts pointed out that weaknesses in building supervision was contributing to construction tragedies. The Dar es Salaam Special Zone Police Commander, Mr Suleiman Kova, told the journalists yesterday that the rescue was going on well and it would come to a close late in the day. As of yesterday, 25 dead bodies had been recovered from the rabble and 4 injured people were recovering in hospital. According to Mr Kova, eight people were being interrogated by the police concerning the tragedy. They include two proprietors of two ill-fated building, two contractors and four engineers. Once the investigation completed, said the PC, these would be arraigned. Meanwhile the deputy minister for Land, Housing and Human Settlements Development Goodluck ole Medeye said the disaster has been a wake-up call to the government to commence countrywide inspection of all construction sites. "I call upon Tanzania contractors to seriously reconsider their professional ethics in order to avoid risks to people's life. They should ensure they comply with rules set construction shine on the management of buildings," said Mr Medeye. The Citizen, Monday, 01 April 2013 09:57

Thread starter BAK
Start date Apr 1, 2013
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dar es salaam elisha magolanga ghorofa jengo laporomoka mtaa nhc

BAK

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Govt orders 3 towers razed in the wake of Friday building collapse

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