Tanzania set to clear all buildings inside the 60-meter shoreline limit

(eTN) – Information has come to light that the Tanzanian government seems set to implement a ban on coastline construction and has pledged the removal of all buildings, houses, and apparently even res

(eTN) – Information has come to light that the Tanzanian government seems set to implement a ban on coastline construction and has pledged the removal of all buildings, houses, and apparently even resorts, which reach inside the 60-meter distance of the high-water level along the beaches from Tanga near the Kenyan border all the way to Mtwara and the border with Mozambique. The issue came to the fore through questions asked in parliament in Dodoma recently, according to a regular source from Dar es Salaam, which were reportedly prompted by concerns over rising ocean waters and the possible impact on built-up areas following a potential tsunami or storm impact.

Another source, however, lamented that this will open the door wide to corruption, as officials may try to blindside resort or property owners with demolition notices only to then promise to make them go away following some โ€œconsiderationโ€ as in particular in popular resorts, beach bars, and restaurants are often within that radius and have been there long before such regulations have come into place.

โ€œTalking of safety measures, that 60 meters will not make much difference in case a tsunami would strike our populated coastlines. So surely there is some other agenda at work again. And raising the issue of Rio+20 resolutions, that has never been the case that implementation would be that fast anywhere, for sure not in Tanzania. That is pure pretence. So there has to be suspicion over the way this is being floated to the public.

โ€œWe must know the true motives behind this move and who is being targeted and why. They should leave all tourist resorts, hotels, and restaurants alone, or is this just another pretext to run wild against what they constantly call โ€˜foreigners owning our land,โ€™โ€ said another source from the hospitality sector when requested to comment on the development.

Sources close to parliament and government preferred not to comment, saying only the matter is โ€œsensitive,โ€ and it would be best to wait and see what, if any, measures government would take, although there have been unconfirmed reports that in the wider Dar es Salaam area some demolitions may already have taken place.

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Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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