Boats deployed to rescue marooned Longido villagers

From MARC NKWAME in Longido

TWO boats and three life guards have arrived in Longido to assist in the ongoing rescue operation in the flood hit district.

The Longido District Administrative Secretary (DAS), Mr Thoba Nguvila, stated here that the boats have already been dispatched to Leremeta village in Sinya Ward where recent rains caused floods, submerging houses, farms and cutting off communication from civilisation.
The village has turned into an Island, surrounded by water from all sides with the rain-made lake deep enough to sink a whole cow. For more than a week now, the residents of Leremeta village have been marooned on their tiny ‘island’ awaiting aid from the other side. Mr Nguvila said the floods affecting most parts of Longido were the first in 55 years; “The last time in history that the area experienced these types of rains was back in 1964,” said the DAS.
The Longido Member of Parliament (MP), Dr Steven Kiruswa, said the boats have already been deployed on a mission of delivering food, clean water, medicine and other provisions for the villagers. “The boats have also helped the teams of medical personnel from the Red Cross organisation to cross over to the village to provide health services and treatment,” said Dr Kiruswa, adding that pregnant women and sick people who needed to be taken to hospitals in Arusha and elsewhere have also benefitted from the arrival of the two boats.
With schools closed for the holidays, pupils and students who were supposed to go home forEaster festivals can now cross to the village using the boats, which can also be used as a means of transport for villagers who would like to take livestock and farm produce to sell into local market auctions.
Businesspeople and other good ‘Samaritans’ have been donating food, clothes and other provisions since the reports of Longido floods went rife, but these consignments could not reach the beneficiaries as flood water levels kept surging. As we went to press, 50 bags of maize flour were sailed across the water to the village which comprises of 255 households with nearly 3,000 people between them. Dr Kiruswa continued to plead with organisations and other people to ensure that they donate whatever they have in order to help the flood victims of Longido.