MWENYA’S DIARY

The rains that fell on Friday, the 10^th of October saw Kulima tower bus station and many other roads in Lusaka town center flood. That was just a single day’s rains resulting in such roads becoming impassable. Its like the local authority has failed to address this problem that has rocked Lusaka for so many years.     

The rainy season is starting shortly and if not addressed definitely flood experienced in many parts of Lusaka last year will be repeated.

Firstly, floods are part of the natural cycle of things. The benefits of natural floods almost certainly outweigh the negative aspects. The problems start when flooding occurs in areas of large-scale human development of the landscape like it was in the last rainy season.
In areas largely inhabited by people, there are both positive and negative environmental effects of flooding. Floods can distribute large amounts of water and suspended river sediment over vast areas.

In many areas, this sediment helps replenish valuable topsoil components to agricultural lands and can keep the elevation of a land mass above sea level.

Floods disrupt normal drainage systems in cities and typically overwhelm sewer systems. Thus, raw or partially raw sewage spills are common in flooded area. Additionally, if the flood is severe enough, destruction of buildings that can contain a large array of toxic materials such as paints, pesticides, gasoline etc can cause the release of these materials into the local environment, which is not good.

We have seen how floods dislocate many people last year resulting in personal tragedies due to flooding occur.

A wise society, which Lusaka is in my opinion, would reap the benefits of flooding and avoid many of the negatives if choose to build cities in ways that can accommodate flooding without trying to avoid it. 

Lusaka central business district is prone to floods each rainy season due to poor drainage system. Flood prevention is really something left up to cities and towns.

‘As the council we are doing everything possible to address the floods that affect Lusaka city every year, but we need residents support by not throwing litter anyhow that results in blocking the drainage system’. Lusaka city council public relations officer Henry Kapata said.

Indeed people should develop a culture of throwing litter in designated places to prevent the blockage of drainage system.