AfricaPress-Tanzania: CONSTRUCTION has reached a new milestone on new upcountry Bus Terminal at Mbezi Luis outskirt of Dar es Salaam city, as the project reaches 70 per cent completion.
The revelation was made in Dar es Salaam yesterday by Deputy Mayor, Abdallah Mtinika during an event to unveil new hand washing facilities at Ubungo Bus terminal (UBT).
“The contractor was supposed to handover the project within two months of June and July but they are still working on some of the issues, we are certain that before the year ends the project will be complete,” said Mr Mtinika.
He said the terminal which will be carried out in two phases will be able to accommodate about 3, 430 buses per day.
Upcountry buses currently using UBT will also be relocated to the new terminal phase-I of the project was thought to take 1.5 years whereas phase-II will commence afterwards with the construction of hotels and shopping malls.
The 55bn/- project commenced on February 2019 was earlier slated for completion in June 2020, the reason for the delay was once cited as the topography of the area.
On the handwashing facilities, he said apart from keeping Coronavirus at bay, it also prevents the spread of diarrhoea-related sicknesses and other respiratory infections.
“As the number of coronavirus cases decreases in our country, hand washing is a habit we need to keep as it prevents illnesses and spread of infections to others,” he said.
WaterAid Tanzania, Interim Country Director, Anna Mzinga, said they will continue supporting the government in efforts to prevent the spread of the virus, through the placement of more hand washing facilities and behaviour change campaigns to encourage citizens to wash their hands even beyond Coronavirus.
“We have installed new handwashing facilities at UBT, Kimara, Gerezani and Kivukoni Bus Rapid Transit stations. These areas were identified as high-risk areas as they are busy and most populated areas in the city,” said Ms Mzinga.
The Director said the facilities 106 m/- worth was made possible in collaboration with the University in which WaterAid has funded the fabrication and installation of 7 hands-free handwashing facilities, four at UBT and three at BRT stations with a total of 59 taps and 59 soap remitters.
The facilities do not require one to use their hands to turn the tap – they simply use their feet to access clean water and soap, which ensures that the facilities themselves do not become contaminated.
They also offer access to people with disabilities; the four handwashing facilities at UBT have the potential of serving around 5,280 people in one hour.
