Mushrooming fuel stations a concern, says Mpango

Dar es Salaam. Vice President Dr Philip Mpango yesterday called for regulation of the mushrooming petrol stations, which he claimed were built in residential areas.

Dr Mpango, speaking during the commissioning of a regional Fire and Rescue Force station in Temeke, said the station poses considerable public safety threats.

“We must not wait till a disaster occurs before reacting and determining who is to blame,” said Dr Mpango.

His remarks follow the government’s three-month suspension of issuing permits for new petrol stations in November of last year for safety grounds.

Dr Mpango stated yesterday that there is still a need for the respective authorities to undertake frequent safety evaluations to ensure they do not endanger people’s lives.

The Energy Water and Utilities Regulatory Authority (Ewura) is the government agency responsible for regulating the downstream petroleum sub-sector of the oil and gas industry (including approving and issuing licences for petrol station construction).

Guided by the Petroleum Act CAP 392, the authority has also issued retail operations rules and guidelines for licensing, compliance with environmental laws, building designs, protections against lives and properties, insurance, all technical provisions, and remedial measures for unlawful acts.

In order to ensure the process of rescuing and protecting people in the event of other emergencies is done effectively by the Fire and Rescue Force, Dr Mpango also advised the construction of water stations to ensure the availability of water in case of a fire emergency.

With regard to the timely response from the Fire and Rescue Forces, the Vice President said the government plans to increase the number of fire stations in at least each district across Tanzania.

“I would also like to order the ministry of Lands, Housing, and Human Settlements to regulate unauthorised habitations so that emergency rescue services can access them,” he said.

Dr Mpango explained that arbitrary land distribution and the allocation of improperly surveyed plots affect the dispensation of emergency services.

That and continuous awareness and education programmes through the media and organised campaigns to the public, he said, would improve alertness and reduce causalities.

The newly launched Sh4.9 billion regional station by the VP was completed in October 2022, according to the Fire and Rescue Force commissioner general, John Masunga. The station, whose construction started in 2010, was designed to become the national headquarters of the Fire and Rescue Force before the government made a move to Dodoma.

General Masunga said that so far in President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s administration, the force has received nearly Sh10.5 billion to fund different projects and resources.

“We are also in the last stages of negotiations to acquire a $100 million loan to fill in resource gaps and improve rescue infrastructure,” he said.