FEATURE - Drought Hits Tanzanian Fish Sellers as Ice Runs Out
Date: 10-Mar-06
Country: TANZANIA
Author: George Obulutsa
"Twelve thousand, 13,000, 15,000. Sold!" a fish seller rattles out, quickly settling deals for a haul of kingfish and red snapper.
The fishmongers working in the sweltering heat of Tanzania's commercial capital say they are struggling to keep their fish fresh because the cost of ice has shot up due to power cuts blamed on one of the worst droughts to hit East Africa in years.
Although rains have drenched some countries in the region this week at the start of the long rainy season, forecasters say the months-long drought that has put millions of people at risk of hunger is not over yet.
Some analysts say the power cuts affecting countries like Tanzania and Uganda, and threatening regional heavyweight Kenya, could be the first sign of the drought's economic impact.
In Tanzania, water levels at hydropower dams have fallen drastically, resulting in daytime power cuts which now last 16 hours, up from 8.5 hours when the cuts were introduced last month to conserve energy.
It makes the fishmongers' lives a misery.
"When there is a small supply of ice, we incur losses because the fish spoil quickly," Ramadhani Kondo, 31, said as he sorted lobster at his stall. "Five hours without ice and it is all spoilt."
"SCARY" SITUATION
The state-run utility Tanzania Electric Supply Company (TANESCO) invited bids in February for two gas-powered turbines to boost production by an additional 100 megawatts (MW).
Tanzania's total generation capacity is 953 MW, of which more than two-thirds is hydroelectric.
To plug the power shortfall, TANESCO also intends to rent generators from outside the country. The International Monetary Fund said Tanzania could use some of its debt relief money to buy the generators and pay for the two turbines.
In a televised speech last month, President Jakaya Kikwete said the drought had slashed hydropower capacity to close to 50 MW, out of a total capacity of 561 MW.
"The situation is not just bad, it is scary," he said.
Kikwete said that in the long term, Tanzania hoped to generate more power from natural gas and coal - both available in the country - and to reduce its reliance on hydropower.
It wants to boost gas-powered generation by an additional 300 MW, and start generating another 200 MW from coal.
These plans offer little immediate comfort to the fish traders who are forced to pay high prices for ice produced using generators - a luxury in one of the world's poorest countries.
"There was a time when a block of ice cost 4,000 shillings. Now it's going for as much as 15,000 shillings. I even heard one seller mention 30,000 shillings," Faraji Abdalla said.
GENERATOR GRAB
Power rationing has also affected other small businesses like hair salons, Internet cafes and restaurants. And the shortages have changed people's habits too.
"Customers don't come here frequently. When they come, they don't buy that much fish because they don't have electricity at home to preserve it," Abdalla said at the fish market.
"Many customers who would buy fish worth 50,000 shillings or 60,000 shillings now buy for less than that and fry it straight away for the day."
Whenever the power goes out in Dar es Salaam, generators clatter into life. Sellers of the diesel-powered machines report brisk business.
"Right now we are out of stock. We ordered more generators, and they came in and were all snapped up," said Hamida Finanga, a sales executive at Car and General in Dar es Salaam. She said the company was rushing to import generators from abroad.
"We will have to raise prices soon as we are using air freight to transport the generators. They arrive in about 10 days. By ship, it would take three or four months," she said.
For some wealthy customers, cost is not an issue.
"We have a waiting list, and some people are even willing to pay in advance," Finanga said.
Back in the fish market, the sun is about to se
