Installed street solar light in Bagamoyo
Entrepreneurs dealing in wood carvings, food vendors, taxi drivers, among others are now offering 24 hours services as the youth who took advantage of darkness to attack and rob them have now vanished in thin air.
Solar power is energy from the sun and without its presence all life on earth would end. Solar energy has been looked upon as a serious source of energy for many years because of the vast amounts of energy that are made freely available, if harnessed by modern technology.
Speaking recently in Bagamoyo during the launch of street lights in Bagamoyoo districts the Director of Environment in the Vice President’s Office, Dk Julius Ningu said the installed solar street light by Ensol Tanzania Limited is one of the modern technologies which is friendly to environment; dding that the technology will minimise the environment defilation.
Dk Ningu further said that after realizing the importance of the Bagamoyo Township on attracting more tourists, mainly due to its historical background, which attracts more tourists the Vice President’s Office in collaboration with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism department tourism, they decided to implement the project at Dunda, Kaole and Mlingotini sub-divisions in Bagamoyo district.
“That is a sustainable tourism project along the Coast, and a pilot project being implemented in eight African countries namely: Tanzania, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon, Senegal, Seychelles and Gambia. The project is being sponsored by the Global Environmental Fund (GEF) and being implemented by UNIDO in collaboration with UNWTO.”
The Coordinator of the project who also doubles as the Bagamoyo District Tourism Officer, Obed Mwinuka, says street light project is within a section of sustainable and managing energy and environment, that came about after noting that despite its importance Mji Mkongwe was in darkness during the night, causing tourists and other visitors fail to visit those areas.
Likewise, small entrepreneurs dealing with wooden carvings and food vendors were fearing to carry out their businesses during the night can now do them without threats.
Mwinuka says “These street solar lights are good because they are using sun light, thus they will be of great help to the people in these areas and people are fond of them,” he noted.
Speaking at different occasions the Project Director of Ensol Tanzania Limited, Engineer Prosper Magali and Ensol’s Chief Technical Officer Julius Mwakalukwa, told this paper that the street light and other electricity generated from solar energy, is a major environment friendly, because it neither need firewood, water, fuel nor wind to get the energy apart from the solar energy, which is available everywhere and is not sold.
“There is no any bureaucracy or bribe to get solar equipment when one wants to get them, and also they don’t have monthly bill after installing them. Solar energy does not have power blackout; likewise it does not need regular maintenance, because its generation and usage does not require shifting of equipment,” said Mwakalukwa.
“Some of the advantages of using solar energy and other solar services are that they don’t need installment of poles anywhere and they are able to reach in areas where even the National Power Grid is not possible to reach.”
Eng Magali says Ensol Company offers its services considering the durability of their equipment and services, trust and the real situation of the needy depending on the use of the end user.
The Bagamoyo street solar light according to Magali, has about 20 lights, of which 17 solar lights have been fixed in Mji Mkongwe and three of them fixed at bus stand, where many visitors enter.
Speaking to this paper one of the Bagamoyo residents Mletwa Rajabu (60), thanked the government and Ensol Company for lighting their area. “However, we urge the government to give more tenders to Ensol so that it can fix more solar lights to all the Bagamoyo streets, because we have seen their advantages, we are now walking safely during the night,” she said.
Another resident who sought anonymity said these solar lights have restored security to the tourists during the night. “From now all robbers and other culprits who used to involve in wrong deeds without being seen because of darkness, have no room now to practice their heinous crime.”
The Dundwe Ward Councilor said that the fixing of solar street power to different areas in Bagamoyo will boost the tourism sector, assure security to both tourists, citizens and cause other activities to keep on running even during the night.
“Those who thought of this project and managed to implement it let them be blessed by God. I thank and congratulate technicians from Ensol who fixed the solar gadgets professionally and timely, because as of now they have not caused any technical problem,” he commended.
“Importantly, we all need to be the guardians of these solar lights, and we should clean them and keep them so that they can last longer. We should not allow birds to creates their nests in them,” he urged.
The Bagamoyo Deputy District Council Mukhsin Mwintanga, who in that event had represented the Bagamoyo District Commissioner Ahmed Kipozi, commended Ensol Ltd Company for the commendable job they had done by lightning their township with cheap, affordable and environment friendly solar power.
He told the Bagamoyo people “This is your property, you should safeguard and keep it safely day and night not forgetting to alert any progress or challenges facing the project,” he urged.
“I understand that there are challenges, but it us citizens of this area to address them. It will be a shame to the district if we fail to safeguard and maintain them,” Mwintanga noted.
At his part, speaking during the launch the Coordinator of the technical participatory sustainable tourism and UNIDO from Nairobi, Kenya, Dk Hugh Gibbon, commended Ensol technicians for successfully fixing street solar lights to most parts of the Bagamoyo district.
He said the presence of these street solar lights in Bagamoyo will boost the tourism sector, business, thus they will become more beneficial as they are also environmental friendly.
Senior Official from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism Joseph Sendwa, said the Tourism Policy insists on sustainable tourism, while tourists also experience the benefits of their tourism.
“These tourists mainly consider their safety, so keeping and lighting these areas like this will encourage them to come back from time to time. And they can even promote our tourism cites to their fellows back home,” he said.
ENERGY POLICY
The Energy Policy objective is to provide an input in the development process by establishing an efficient energy production, procurement, transportation, distribution, and end-user systems in an environmentally sound manner and with due regard to gender issues.
Support research and development: Promote application of alternative energy sources other than fuel wood and charcoal, in order to reduce deforestation, indoor health hazards and time spent by rural women in search of fuel wood.
Promote entrepreneurship and private initiative in the production and marketing of products and services for rural and renewable energy; ensure continued electrification of rural economic centres and make electricity accessible and affordable to low income customers; facilitate increased availability of energy services, including grid and off-grid electrification to rural areas; and establish norms, codes of practice, standards and guidelines for cost effective.
Barriers to modern rural energy services in Tanzania
Inadequate awareness on rural energy issues and related technologies; affordability of the people; sparsely distributed population; insufficient research, development and dissemination efforts; inadequacy of comprehensive data on rural energy resources and players.
Others are reluctance of the private sector to invest in rural energy due to (high risk/low returns); and inadequate quality control of rural energy technologies leading to poor reputation of some technologies.
SOURCE:
THE GUARDIAN
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