shloboe boe
Nqobile Bhebhe, [email protected]
THE onset of the rainy season has once again exposed the poor drainage systems in Bulawayo and other urban areas across the country hence the calls from residents for councils to address the problem.
During the past few days Bulawayo received significant rainfall, which has led to waterlogged streets, raising concerns about the adequacy of urban planning and maintenance.
The city centre is susceptible to flash flooding due to blocked drainage systems, which endanger motorists and pedestrians, contributing to the destruction of road infrastructure and creating health hazards.
Several tonnes of garbage are left uncollected on the streets clogging drains and creating a myriad of related health and infrastructural problems.
Chronicle news crew yesterday observed that clogged drains in the city exacerbated flooding as water pooled in front of shops.
Urban planners and residents have attributed the problem to a combination of outdated drainage systems, poor waste management and rapid urban expansion.
Bulawayo City Council (BCC) says it is clearing more than 160 km of drainage system annually through its internal teams and collaboration with community groups in various neighbourhoods.
The local authority said the situation has also been worsened by littering, with plastic waste clogging drainage systems.
BCC’s corporate communications officer, Ms Bongiwe Ngwenya said: “More than 160km of drainage is cleared annually through the council’s internal teams and the engagement of community groups in various residential areas. This is inclusive of the culvert systems in the CBD.”
She said while drains are cleared periodically towards the rainy season, the biggest challenge is the maintenance of storm drains in the city centre due to the dumping of waste and litter into the catch-pits and side pits.
“The food takeaway containers, soft drinks bottles and restaurant packaging always accumulate inside the culvert system thereby blocking the pipe system.
“It is also important that residents fully utilise rubbish bins as littering will result in the blockage of these underground drains,” said Ms Ngwenya.
Bulawayo Vendors and Traders Association (BVTA) Mr Michael Ndiweni said most blockages are caused by activities of unregistered vendors.
“This is a serious concern. It’s a fact that there are informal traders who are trading at undesignated areas.
Those are the groups that are giving the city problems and contributing to littering,” he said.
Mr Ndiweni said those with allocated or designated trading spaces clean their areas because they are held accountable by the Bulawayo City Council.
He said some of the illegal traders are from other towns and cities who most of the time operate at night.
“They do trading at night and in the wee hours of the morning, they get into buses and leave the city.
Some bring vegetables into the city and leave heaps of plastic and bio-degradable waste, which contributes to clogging of the city’s drainage system,” he said.
Mr Ndiweni said his organisation has been conducting anti-litter awareness campaigns to encourage members to clean their areas.
“As Bulawayo Vendors and Traders Association, we educate our members on the importance of keeping the environment clean. Most of them now understand that they can only attract customers when they keep the environment clean,” he said.
Dr Nicholas Muleya, an expert in urban planning, attributed the problem to a combination of outdated drainage systems, poor waste management and rapid urban expansion. “Many of our drainage systems were designed decades ago for much smaller populations,” he said.
A Bulawayo-based architect, Mr Adams Mapingire urged local authorities to redraft their urban designs to prevent future disasters.
He noted that most cities still use outdated infrastructure that can no longer cope with the growing urban population.
“There is an urgent need to redesign urban centres’ drainage systems as the existing infrastructure is outdated and struggles to accommodate the growing population. Local authorities should invest in human capital and enhance their staff’s skills to enable them to redesign infrastructure that meets modern requirements,” he said.
Mr Mapingire said most local authorities were missing opportunities to harness water for other uses.
“Cities are losing water, which could be used for other purposes because they have no systems to harvest the water when it rains,” he said.
The Meteorological Services Department (MSD) has warned of more heavy rains in the coming weeks, urging cities to prepare for potential flooding. As the rainy season progresses, the need for sustainable urban planning and proactive measures to address drainage issues becomes increasingly urgent.
