DAR ES SALAAM, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- The Tanzania Meteorological Agency (TMA) on Thursday issued an alert over heavy rains in some parts of the east African nation starting from the second week of November.

Agnes Kijazi, TMA Director General, said the imminent heavy rains were expected to hit western, central, southern western, southern highlands and southern coast.

"Disaster management authorities are advised to prepare a contingency plan as well as budget necessary to cater for any negative impacts that the rains might cause," Kijazi told a news conference in the commercial capital Dar es Salaam.

Kijazi also urged health authorities to take relevant precautions because there was a possibility of an outbreak of epidemic diseases during the period.

She said the rains were expected between the second week of November through April 2019.

Fourteen people were killed by torrential rains and flooding in Dar es Salaam in April last year.

The heavy rains forced authorities in Dar es Salaam region to close down schools for two days and advised families to leave inundated areas in a bid to reduce the loss of life.