By Lake Zone Watch Writer
An estimated 1,500 households situated along Mara River basin in Tarime district on the Tanzania side are facing an imminent hunger crisis following the destruction of food crop farms by severe floods.
The countrywide floods, caused by the ongoing long rains, are reported to have badly damaged farms at Matango village as they continue to pound the area, village government leaders say.
“First, we appeal to government food assistance, and, secondly, we request for seeds to enable us plant new crops,” Matango village chairman, Daudi Itembe, told Lake Zone Watch yesterday.
“We have lost hope of harvesting anything from our maize farms now filled with water. We don’t know what will our children eat; we ask the government to help us,’ pleaded a villager who wanted to remain anonymous.
Matango is one of the villages in Mara region located along the banks of Mara River which flows to Lake Victoria.
The transboundary river originates from Mau forests in Kenya and forms an integral part of the Serengeti-Mara ecosystem.