Perennial flash floods have again hit Lusaka, the capital city after three days of heavy rains into the new year.
The worst hit areas were the Central Business District, the Light and Heavy Industrial areas including some compounds and townships in close proximity to the CBD.
The situation worsened on Tuesday when afternoon rains blocked the drainage system leading to an overspill on the key roads in most areas of the city.
Most residents were caught unprepared for the floods and found themselves stuck in the middle of heavy pools of water as the floods wreaked havoc.
Smaller vehicles were also stuck and some makeshift houses in Chibolya and parts of Kanyama could not stand the weight of the floods and collapsed.
Some of the affected residents have appealed to the Lusaka City Council to speed up works on the construction of a new drainage system before the situation worsens.
At the start of December, the Zambia Meteorological Department had warned that Lusaka, Central, Western and Southern provinces will experience heavy rains coupled with flash floods in the early parts of January.
The department also forecast that during the same period the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) which was the main rain bringing system would be oscillating about the southern borders of Zambia thereby increasing rainfall and showery activities across the country.
And Lusaka Mayor Wilson Kalumba says the flooding was due to heavy rains the city has been experiencing.
Mr Kalumba said it is important to appreciate the fact that Lusaka city is situated on a flat plateau with mild slopes as low as 0.2% which makes most areas of the city experience extensive flooding during the rainy season.
“Besides the low topography Lusaka also has a very high water table in certain areas and this is determined by the geology of the City which is constituted by highly impermeable limestone which gets quickly saturated by water during the rainy season,” Mr Kalumba explained.
“However the perennial floods the city has been experiencing over the years have been exacerbated by either poorly maintained drainage infrastructure or none existent of the facility especially in places that started as informal settlements. On the other hand the CBD which constitutes underground drainage system no longer has the capacity to operate efficiently and effectively due to the increase in infrastructure development and also indiscriminate disposal of waste.”
He added, The Meteorological department has adequately advised that this year the country is likely to receive normal to above-normal rainfall for most of the period from October to December 2016 and January to March 2017.”
Mr Kalumba said in trying to mitigate the expected impacts of this heavy rainfall, Lusaka City Council has moved in and started working on the most flood prone areas within the city.
He revealed that the Council has purchased a second Pressure Jet at an approximate K1, 000,000 to help with the underground CBD drains.
“The council through its Roads and Drainage Section under the Department of Engineering Services has started working on opening up some drains within Kabwata constituency. Road works and drain openings are also being done in Kanyama constituency through the assistance of Zambia National Service equipment,” he said.
He added, “Some drainage works are also underway in Chawama Constituency through the performance contractor.
Plans are underway to mobilise into Munali Constituency starting with Kaunda Square and Mtendere.”
He said the Council has further engaged Road Development Agency to ensure that the contractor working on the L400 roads moves on site to work on the side drains on the newly paved roads which had resulted into floods with the first rains.
Mr Kalumba said the Contractor (AVIC International) has since mobilised and is currently working along Dr. Aggrey road in Kabwata.
“Works on the Bombay and Mazyopa Drainage system being implemented through the Millennium Challenge Account have continued smoothly and once fully completed will greatly reduce the floods in a lot of areas in Lusaka.
Further to this, the local authority has engaged Polytechnology, a Chinese company that has shown interest in working on the other remaining primary outfalls as well as the CBD.”
The Lusaka Mayor said the council through Ministry of Local Government intends to sign an MOU with the company to execute an Engineering Procurement and Construction (EPC) contract.
Mr Kalumba further disclosed that the Council has also started receiving technical assistance in Drainage and Municipal Waste Management by Seureca, a company engaged by Millennium Challenge Account Zambia.
“Residents should also realise that proper solid waste management is very significant in mitigation against flooding. If waste is not properly managed, it will find itself in the drainage channels and the result of this is, is that drains will be blocked and the free flow of water will be affected thereby causing flooding and stagnation of water,” he said.
That is expected in one of the dirtiest cities i have visited.
You the water is flowing freely. But wait, when PF of visionless Lungu’s bandits failures start yielding to the load shedding crisis, you will soon hear them lying that “we didn’t receive enough rains & drought is global”. PF is chimbwi without any plans!
Just let the presidential petition be heard, why is PF scared!?
The Skeleton Key
~206~
@Skeleton, you are such a bore!
@Vizungu its you who is a j.a.c.k.a.s.s! just continue dancing the dununa regret song.you will eat shiiiiti…
Pwanya matuvi, you will never rule Zambia ever so just get accustomed to our vision. Whether you like it or not PF is changing the face of Zambia for the better.
Millions of American dollars later we still have flooding!
Very annoying and *****ic wanting to be seen as intelligent explanation to something persistently reoccurring every year! The Netherlands are below sea level but there is no such flooding and so are major coastal cities around the world! This is incompetence at best by all governments Zambia has had for were it still the colonials this problem of drainage for Lusaka would have long been sorted out! Start thinking and working than just stealing!
Talk of a classic example of cause and effect – the more you liter, the more the floods because the drain ages are clogged up with filth. It does not matter how many drainage systems you will create. As long as you have a lot of ill mannered villagers calling themselves town dwellers driving Porsche cars and litering any how, this is what you will get! This is not even worth calling an engineering problem. It is an attitude and moral problem! If you want call for prayers but this is a problem that requires mental transformation first! Cholera to follow soon!
You are right e nation should be enlightened about waste disposal
Just thinking, what will happen to nuclear reactor if flooded? No more electricity or no more Zambia
“And Lusaka Mayor Wilson Kalumba says the flooding was due to heavy rains the city has been experiencing.”
During election compains the man promised to work on the drainage system.People are dancing to your dununa regret song…
Anyway, these floods are happening for the first time, that’s why the council is requesting construction of drainages in middle of rainy season.
Yet we have a shortage of water in dry season…all this can be harvested and utilized!!
Filthy City, lack of planning, drunken and corrupt councilors. Cholera will rule!
For Once Jay jay you have spoken multitudes of sense. Bravo.
I have said it before that let’s consider abandoning Lusaka city to another area with much advanced and better planning of drainages and other amenities ahead. Lusaka, as it is today, is and has become impossible to ‘repair’, its just too congested to do anything in terms of developments.
Then the minister of religious affairs will call for a day of prayer and fasting for a reduction in the rains. God is probably like, “What a confused people.”
@ Nkope Shinyenga,even if we abandon this city for another better planed with good drainage system,it will all come back to the same after time!Just like ‘The Real Quest’ has said……..attitude problem.We just do n’t care about our environment being kept clean.We just liter everywhere like monkeys in mango trees!
….And Lusaka Mayor Wilson Kalumba says the flooding was due to heavy rains the city has been experiencing…..it should read…flooding due to poor drainage system,,…what does the Mayor expect when it rains, some droplets just to wet the ground..??
While Rwandans are now producing laptops and Ungandans are producing a bus the president and his ministers just love being tourists instead bringing development to Zed which brings in forex. Now Zambians will be lining up to buy Rwandan assembled laptops while Lungu and his ministers will keep on touring other countries wasting Zed forex. Smart president’s like Kagame and Museveni invite Lungu to a drink of Jameson and once he gets drunk he fails to plan for Zambia. His PF orders contaminated and nothing is done. Now we have floods year in and year out with no proper planing
Who says the Almighty God does not have a sense of humour? Give humans enough rope to hung themselves.
To an unprepared community, rain is a curse, witchcraft, disease, pot holes, muddy floors, dirty shoes, ….and everything in-between ….all rolled into one.
To a prepared community, rain is prayer answered. It is Hydro-power, Agribusiness, air cleaner, sustainer of wildlife and tourism, … you name it….
FRIEDRICH NIETZSCHE – ?
Ifiko! It’s just poor planning at play. I am sure that Mayor has no 1 year, 5 year, 10 year plan for the city. Everything is about taking pictures to show that he is working. It’s deeper than that.
This flooding like the Army worms is political.Why only in PF strongholds!!
We know the nfiti!!
People should be harvesting rain water from the roofs for later in the year. There must be a way to hygienically grab this water into large water butts. Boil, filter and bottle in sterile bottles. Such a waste not to.
We always talk about harvesting rain water and some people have been sent out to learn how to do it, but just stories. Can we be serious with what we preach!
They can’t because those people who are sent abroad to do their studies are coming back to Zambia and two scenarios are happening.
1. No one wants to accept their gained knowledge- people say, if you continue talking, you can eat your master degree.
2. Coming back lying about their achievement – coming back with less knowledge than before,because they didn’t study what they came for.
Best example – Erasmus university programs in Rotterdam/ Netherlands. It’s a disaster!!