One of the leading shopping complexes in Dar es Salaam, Shoppers’ Plaza located along Mwai Kibaki Road is at risk of collapse if no quick measures are taken to drain pools of water from a man-made hole adjacent to the facility.
The hole is the foundation of an expected multi-storey building whose construction is said to have been suspended by the Kinondoni Municipal Council over defaulted construction procedures.
Due to the current heavy rains, the hole has turned itself and its vicinity into a mini dam that is now threatening the existence of the shopping mall and the surrounding buildings.
An official of Shoppers’ Plaza who preferred anonymity told The Guardian in an exclusive interview recently that after experiencing the situation, they called a constructor to repair to the facility so as to ensure that it doesn’t collapse.
“As you can see our surroundings, anything might happen but we have taken precautionary measures just to ensure that the property and people’s lives should not be at stake,” said the official pointing at the pools of water accumulated in the area.
The official said Kinondoni Municipality has blocked the construction from continuing however, the constructor should ensure that the mini dam doesn’t cause any harm to the surroundings.
Kinondoni Municipal Council chief engineer Baraka Mkuya confirmed to this paper that the council suspended the construction permit for failure to meet some criteria set by the municipality.
Of the issues that have contributed to the suspension in construction is the contradiction between the owner of the plot and the constructor.
Mkuya refused to give details that made the municipality to suspend the construction which had already started.
“I don’t want to talk more about this constructor building the edifice just adjacent to Shoppers’ Plaza, but the truth is that we suspended him. We are aware of the situation at the site and we warned him in writing that in case anything wrong occurs to his neighbours he will be held responsible,” he noted.
The Guardian saw a water pump draining the water from the mini dam in an effort to prevent more damage to the surrounding structures.
Speaking on behalf of the owner of the plot, Mohamed Issa, said the construction was suspended because of the ongoing rains.
“Take me as a reliable source for what is happening at this site. But it’s also up to you if you will believe in hearsays from other people. We have suspended the constructions ourselves for fear of threatening our workers’ lives. Once the rains are over we shall continue with the work,” Issa said.
According to him, the owner of site has three more plots somewhere else where he alleges to have suspended construction for the same reasons.
