President Jakaya Kikwete speaks in Davos todayTanzania has reiterated its position on the planned tarmac highway around the Serengeti National Park to ease transport problems facing poor communities surrounding the Park, saying it will still go ahead and build the road.
However, contrary to what groups lobbying against the planned highway have been claiming, the Government insists the highway will not be built through the Serengeti, which has been acclaimed internationally as the World Heritage Site.
The Government position was articulated yesterday (Thursday, January 27, 2011) by the President of the United Republic of Tanzania, His Excellency Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete during his bilateral talks with the Managing Director of the World Bank, Ms. Ngozi Ikonjo-Iweala at the margins of the World Economic Forum (WEF), which both the President and Mrs.Ikonjo-Iweala are attending in Davos.
“Contrary to what some people are saying, and to the rumors being circulated everywhere, my Government has never decided to build a tarmac road through the Serengeti,” President Kikwete told Ms Ikonjo-Iweala.
President Kikwete told the World Bank Managing Director that the Government plan seeks to severely reduce the length of the current road passing through the Serengenti National Park.
He said that currently a 220-kilometre unpaved road was running through the Serengeti and that the Government want to reduce it to only 54 kilometres that will pass through the National Park and those 54 kilometers will remain unpaved.
“Currently, 220 kilometers of road are passing through Serengeti National Park, right in the middle of the Park. And there is huge traffic crossing the park with large lorries and huge buses. We are unhappy with this situation. We want to reduce the length of road going through the Serengenti to only 54 kilometers passing mainly through the northern tip of the Park,” said President Kikwete.
He added: “This planned highway will meet three major objectives. One, is to reduce the flow of traffic passing the Park. Second, is to reduce the length of the road running through the Serengeti and third is to empower those poor communities living just outside the Serengeti to have a reliable road going through their area.”
“Some of the accusations against the Tanzania Government on this issue are quite absurd. People sit in Dar es Salaam and listen to all these people and institutions which are paid to say bad things about the Government, said the President and added:
“ Tanzania has the most impeccable record in conservation in the world. About 20 per cent of our land has been under conservation since our independence in 1961. We are a leading nation in conservation in the world. How, then can we make decisions that would destroy the Serengeti? We would be the last people to destroy the Serengeti.”
President Kikwete has advised those who are interested in getting accurate facts about Government plans on the road supporting poor communities surrounding the Serengeti National Party to talk to the right people.
“We have a responsibility to our people. They need a road and we will deliver it to them while fully preserving our beloved Serengeti National Park,” said President Kikwete in relation to the long-running campaign against this road mainly by non-governmental organizations (NGO’s) and some conservation groups.
asante sana raisi kikwete kwa hili. watu wenye kuishi kwenye
ReplyDeletehizo sehemu wanahitaji barabara nzuri na maendeleo. wenye
kulalamika hawana uchungu wowote na watu wa tanzania. wao ni
vizuri tusiwe na maendeleo ili wazidi kutunyonya. sehemu kama
florida wamekuwa waki reclaim land ambazo wanyama wanaishi
na kujenga manyumba huku wakitoa kisingizio cha development.
watanzania pia tunahitaji development.
"Dk" J.M Kikwete *Rais wa Jamuhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania)....
ReplyDeleteJenga SERENGETI SKYWAY pale wanyama waendelee na maendelo yao chini halafu Magari/Malori yapite juu, na kulipa kodi kwasababu watafaidi kuona wanyama na fedha za kodi zitaedeleza vijiji. UPOO YAGHEE..
They care more about animals than our lives (Tanzanians) thats a shame. Hypocrisy of high level.
ReplyDeleteLakini mimi ningependa hizo highway zingejengwa kwanza mijini kuliko maporini. kwani kunauhitaji mkubwa sana Mjini wa hizo highway kutokana na matatizo makubwa ya Foleni Barabarani, mpaka imefikia hatua Mtu unatoka nyumbani kwako saa 11 alfajiri ili tu uwahi kufika kazini saa 2 asubuhi. pia unafika nyumbani kwako saa 3 mpaka 4 usiku baada ya kutoka kazini kutokana na foleni. hii inapunguza sana ufanisi wa kazi sababu muda mwingi unatumika barabarani kwenye foleni.
ReplyDeletewadau wanapendekeza barabara ipite nje ya mbuga. barabara itakuwa ndefu lakini itawafikia wananchi wengi zaidi. pia tutahifadhi mazingira ya mbuga ya serengeti. kwanini barabara ikatishe serengeti kwenye wanyama badala ya kuelekezwa kusini na nje ya mbuga ambako kuna wanavijiji? The President needs to check his facts too.
ReplyDeleteWakenya eti wamefungua kesi kuhusu barabra hiyo-tazamiwa!
ReplyDeleteHao Wakenya hawajui kuwa wao wenyewe ndio wamekata miti katika pori la Mlima Mau (vyanzo vya Mto Mara) kiasi cha kupunguza maji ya mto huo na kuhatarisha maisha ya wanyawa wa Serengeti punde wafikapo huko Maasai Mara!
Jamani, ni vyema ku-balance mambo kati ya maisha ya watu pia mazingira yanayowazunguka. Mimi ni moja waliokuwa hawaungi mkono suala la kujenga highway katikati ya Serengeti kwa sababu ya athari za kimazingira ambazo zingejitokeza. Ninampongeza sana Raisi Kikwete kwa hekima kubwa aliyotumia kwa kuamua kujenga barabara hiyo pembeni mwa Serengeti. Ila pia kuanzishwe scheme ya kuwafidia wananchi (payment of ecosystem services)kwa kuchangia katika kuhifadhi mbuga ya Serengeti kwa kukubali kuzunguka njia ndefu aidha kwa kuwaboreshea huduma na jamii ikienda sambamba na kupunguzo la nauli.
ReplyDeletemdau hapo juu naona hujaelewa, haijengwi pembeni ya serengeti bado itakatisha ndani ya serengeti, kwa wale tunapinga huo ujenzi, ni kuwa tunaangalia swala la ujangili na mazingira na animal migration. Kukiwa kunafikika kirahisi sana sana maeneo ya north serengeti ujangili(poaching) itaongezeka sababu itakuwa rahisi kwa hao wahalifukutumia hiyo barabara inayojengwa. pamoja na kuwa kutakuwepo na gates kwaajili ya kuahakikisha usalama wa park na mapato ya park yanakuwepo kwa wote watakaotumia hiyo njia.Tukija kwa swala la mazingira zile ni sehemua ambazo hazijachafuliwa na uwepo wa binadamu wengi, kuna miti mingi ya asili, na mimea mingine midogo ya asili, iwapo hiyo njia itaanza kutumika tutaona hata mahindi yataota ndani ya hifadhi.
ReplyDeleteKuhusu migration hiyo highway itakatiza katikati ya migration route hivyo wanyama wengi sana watagongwa na wengi sana watapoteana na ndama(watoto)wao hivyo kufanyausalama wa wanyama kuwa mdogo sana na pengine population kupungua katika miaka ijayo.
Kwa mtazamo wangu hiyo barabara haijengwa kwa kuwanufaisha wananchi kuna siri nyingine nzito. sababu barabara hii ikijengwa kwa upande wa kusini itawanufaisha wananchi wengai zaidi na kuna bidhaa nyingi sana zinazohitaji usafiri kutoka upande huo, kama vile vitunguu na mpunga kutoka mang'ola (lake eyasi) mahindi kutoka easter shinyanga na hata ngombe wa wasukuma kutoka upande huo.
kitu kikubwa ninachohofia ni uharibufu zaidi wa mazingirasababu hawa viongozi walikuwa na mpango wakuanzisha kiwanda cha chumvi lake natron ambapo ndo ziwa pekee la mazalio ya pink flamingo. na hiyo serengeti highway itapita hapo lake natron.
NI MTAZAMO TU!
... tupige flyover au tunnel mnaonaje wadau?
ReplyDelete