Streetlight outages raise alarm
GEITA: THE Geita Regional Roads Board (RRB) has urged authorities responsible for street lighting to resolve persistent outages across the region.
The call was made during a recent meeting in Geita town, where leaders from various areas said the problem had reached alarming levels and required urgent attention.
Geita Regional Police Commander, Assistant Commissioner of Police (SACP) Safia Jongo, said many streetlights were not functioning, posing risks to residents and their property at night.
“I have visited many towns. Streetlights are a key feature of town centres. However, in Geita, it is difficult to even identify the town centre at night due to poor lighting,” she said.
She stressed the need to integrate street lighting into road construction projects, especially when roads are upgraded to tarmac.
“It is important for road projects to include the installation of streetlights because paved roads contribute to the expansion of towns and increase human activity,” she said.
Chato District Administrative Secretary, Mr Thomas Dimme, said the situation in Chato town had worsened, calling for investigations and a lasting solution.
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Chato North Member of Parliament, Mr Cornel Magembe, said more than 300 streetlights in Chato are not working despite being installed along roads.
“If you count the streetlights that are not working in Chato, they exceed 300, yet they have already been installed,” he said.
He said the problem was partly caused by lack of clarity on maintenance responsibilities between authorities.
“TANROADS says its role is installation, while councils say they were not part of the contract. I urge that the two sides be brought together to resolve this issue,” he said.
Geita Regional Manager of the Tanzania Rural and Urban Roads Agency (TARURA), David Msechu, said responsibility for streetlights is shared among institutions, including the Rural Energy Agency (REA).
He said many faulty lights were installed under REA projects, which involve local government authorities in their management.
Msechu said TARURA has engaged the Tanzania Electrical, Mechanical and Electronics Services Agency (TEMESA) to inspect and repair 310 faulty streetlights.
“In Geita District there are 184 faulty streetlights, while Chato has 82. TEMESA will inspect them to determine which should be repaired or replaced,” he said.
He added that efforts are ongoing to include streetlights in budgets for roads that currently lack them.
Geita Regional Manager of the Tanzania National Roads Agency (TANROADS), Engineer Hosea Machaka, said follow-up is underway on lights under TANROADS, with repairs to be carried out in phases.
