THE government is finalizing a number of issues, including addressing infrastructural matters, before the Dar es Salaam seaside suburb of Kigamboni is developed into a fully fledged modern satellite city.
Summing up his one-day tour of the three major National Social Security Fund (NSSF) projects worth trillions of shillings at Dege Eco Village Modern City Housing Scheme in Kigamboni on Saturday, the Prime Minister, Mr Mizengo Pinda, said that everything was going on well.
"Kigamboni is doing well and by next year, many of the NSSF, which will make a huge economic and social impact, will be completed", he said.
The Premier noted further that the central government must look into ways of addressing infrastructural matters instead of leaving the task to the Temeke Municipal Council alone.
Some of the infrastructural matters that have cropped up in the course of implementing the project include delays of construction of flyovers, which will ease congestion once the Kigamboni Bridge starts operating, roads connecting Dar es Salaam (Kurasini area) and Kigamboni and the one-kilometre road that will connect Mtoni Kijichi and Mbagala.
Others are drainage systems at both Mtoni Kijichi Affordable Houses and Dege Eco Village projects where NSSF has been forced to drill water wells at the moment.
According to the prime minister, the Dar es Salaam Water and Sewerage Authority (DAWASA) need to follow up and put some water infrastructure at the site to enable residents to enjoy uninterrupted water supply.
Following the major housing scheme NSSF has made in Kigamboni, Mr Pinda suggested the establishment of a special project that will control sewerage system both at Dege Eco Village and Mtoni Kijichi affordable houses projects.
NSSF Director General Ramadhani Dau told the Premier that the major challenges the fund faced include the construction of roads and flyovers to ease congestion at Kigamboni Bridge.
He mentioned the "hotspots" as the construction of a road on the Kigamboni side, at the junction connecting roads from the bridge and Vijibweni Road and on the Kurasini side at the junction of Kilwa Road and Mandela Expressway near the Dar es Salaam School of Accountancy (DSA).
"The other is the road from Bendera Tatu to KAMATA at BP, the Gerezani and KAMATA junction and the road from Gerezani to Ohio Street and the junction of Mandela Expressway and Nyerere Road at TAZARA," he explained.
On water and electricity, Dr Dau said they have involved both DAWASA and the Tanzania Electric Supply Company (TANESCO), presently using power at both housing projects from TANESCO. As for water, he said, they have drilled wells while waiting for DAWASA to take action.
"DAWASA involvement is very important because it is very expensive to drill wells. We must involve them instead of consuming money by using generators to pump water from the wells and buying diesel instead of using power supplied by TANESCO," he noted.
On the progress of the projects, NSSF Projects Manager Engineer John Msemo said the 214,639,445,523-shilling Kigamboni Bridge project will see the construction of the only bridge of its kind in Africa apart from that of Saa Nane islands.
He said the delays to handover the project as per contract terms has been caused by technical problems after the experts encountered cavities under the sea bed at a depth of over 50 metres, delaying completion of the foundation's piling work. Other challenges included delays of acquisition of land from the project saying the last piece of land was handed over to the contractor in February this year, two years late.
Eng. Msemo also said government's delay in dishing its 40 per cent viability funds also has contributed to the project's setback. At Mtoni Kijichi's 4,500-billion shilling affordable housing project, Eng. Msemo told the PM that NSSF had three phases of which 85 houses constructed in the first phase have been completed and bought, 15 houses in Phase II have already been bought while Phase III of 820 houses -180 block of flats each with four apartments and 100 villas.
Already, 300 houses have been booked before completion. Regarding the 544, 530, 562-USD Dege Eco Village of which NSSF has 45 per cent shares and Azimio Housing Estates Company Limited; 55 per cent shares, the project manager said the project will involve the construction of 7,460 units of which 7,160 are flats and 300 villas.
He said already the execution of the work started in January this year where experts are using the tunnel molding system to build houses. The work is expected to end by December 2017.
"We need support from the stakeholders, particularly on the approach roads, power and water supply from the mains, gas supply, drainage systems for storm water and foul water and tax exemption for this to take off quickly," he said.
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