DAR ES SALAAM, May 28 (Xinhua) -- Tanzania Shipping Agencies Corporation (TASAC) announced plans on Tuesday to implement additional security and safety measures in the country's Great Lakes of Victoria, Tanganyika, Nyasa and Rukwa.
TASAC Director General Mohamed Salum said that the project has started in Lake Victoria, the world's second-largest freshwater lake by surface area after Lake Superior in North America.
"The project in Lake Victoria involves enhancing communication coverage through regular mobile phone services, constructing three maritime search and rescue sub-centers along with a regional maritime rescue coordination center, and improving the weather alert system in collaboration with the Tanzania Meteorological Authority by deploying two weather buoys on the lake," Salum told Xinhua.
He said that the project, which started in 2018 but experienced delays before resuming in 2020, includes acquiring two search and rescue boats and an ambulance boat to provide medical services to lake users in areas without nearby medical facilities, such as on some islands.
"The ambulance boat will also be utilized during marine accidents," Salum added, noting that the Lake Victoria project, funded by a loan from the African Development Bank, is set for completion in December 2024.
Salum said further assistance is needed due to the lake's extensive coverage and limited resources, adding that TASAC also plans to expand the project to other lakes, including Tanganyika, Nyasa and Rukwa.
Lake Victoria has a surface area of 68,000 square kilometers and a total basin area of 250,000 square kilometers, according to official statistics.
The lake is shared by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, with six percent of the surface area within Kenyan territory, while Tanzania and Uganda have 51 percent and 43 percent, respectively. The lake's basin is shared by five countries: Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi. ■