BUDGET DEFICIT DERAIL DRAINAGE REHABILITATION IN RWANDA

A budget deficit is derailing the rehabilitation of 34 drainages to curb floods in the City of Kigali, the city Mayor, Pudence Rubingisa has said.

“The floods that the city usually faces in April might create more ravines or drainages. Therefore drainage rehabilitation should be in a three-year action plan or in a more than four-year plan. We should have a number of drainages that should be rehabilitated every year,” he said.

The increase in population in the capital from 1.1 million to 1.6 million people has triggered the increase in settlements and infrastructure that requires more facilities to manage floods, officials said.

The City of Kigali had pledged to rehabilitate two drainages every year to reduce the effects of floods.

However, Rubingisa said that the budget deficit is currently the main challenge in rehabilitating drainages to be able to cope with floods.

“We are trying to work with different partners to gradually rehabilitate drainages,” he said.

Mpazi drainage which has caused floods in Nyabugogo business hub is among drainages that will soon be rehabilitated under a World Bank funding project.

“There is need for a study to know the needed cost to rehabilitate the 34 drainages. We also have to work with residents around such drainages to embrace practices that protect the environment while those whose life is in danger have to be relocated,” he said.

The mayor added that the bridges and culverts on six flood hot spots in Rugunga, Rwandex, Kinyinya, Nyabisindu, Gisozi-Mukindo, and Gisozi-Karuruma will also be improved.

Road construction firms on the spot

The city of Kigali said that drainages connected to a 215-kilometre road network have to be constructed.

However, road construction firms are on the spot over failing to build drainages on these roads being constructed.

Some of the roads such as Kigali-Bugesera, Karuruma road in Jabana sector among others were cited to lack drainages after construction.

“The contractors have been obliged to go back to the sites to correct the errors before handover,” he said.

The drainages on the roads have to drain runoff water in the wetlands and rivers.

Rubingisa said that five wetlands that could also help to curb floods by retaining runoff water in the City of Kigali will be rehabilitated by the second phase of Rwanda Urban Development Project (RUDP II) funded by the World Bank to foster biodiversity and ecosystems services.

The wetlands include Kibumba, Nyabugogo, Rugenge-Rwintare, Rwampara and Gikondo wetland.

“The infrastructure such as roads should be constructed in a way that drains runoff water so that floods do not destroy other infrastructure,” he said.

The mayor also urged owners of houses to harvest rainwater as a way of managing runoff water.

Urban planners said that a storm water management plan being devised could be the sustainable solution to manage floods that have ravaged the different suburbs of the City of Kigali.

Storm water is surface water in abnormal quantities resulting from heavy rainfall and experts say the high volume of this water in Kigali is being caused by rapid urbanization that has no sustainable way for managing floods.

The study is going to map all watershed catchments areas that are causes of the floods and their confluence.

SOURCE: Newstime