Work on poor drainages, LCC implored

THE Lusaka City Council (LCC) should work on the poor drainage system in the city to avert perpetual flooding.

Residents talked to complained in separate interviews that drainages had been blocked for a long time and posed challenges to movement of people every year.

Mwewa Mwewa, a businessman of Avondale, told the Daily Nation that the floods were caused by poor maintenance of drainages and continued illegal dumping of garbage.

He said this was hindering the smooth flow of water and consequently affected business operations in the city.

Mr Mwewa said local authorities should intervene through the rehabilitation and construction of drainages.

“Look at Kabwe roundabout, every rainy season the place is flooded. We begin to wonder if the local authority was really working. The route is of high economic value but if people are finding a challenge moving because of bad drainages, then we are at a loss.

“The heavy rain has continued to expose the poor drainage systems and as a businessman I am appealing to authorities to intervene,” he said.

And Agnes Yumba of Kanyama compound urged the Lusaka City Council (LCC) to collect garbage promptly as the rain to prevent cholera and other waterborne diseases from breaking out.

She said the uncollected garbage was pilling and the fact that most households did not have running water was alarming because rain water led to shallow wells.

“There is no running water in our compound, we are forced to draw water from unhealthy shallow wells and when it rains while this uncollected garbage is here, there is a high possibility of contamination,” she said.

Ms Yumba complained that the blocked sewer drainages in Kanyama posed a higher risk of cholera outbreak.

She said it was worrying to see effluent flowing with rainwater in open in public places.