City council admission worrisome H-METRO

HARARE City Council’s admission that it has failed to maintain the clogged drainage system should not be taken lightly.

It’s a clear sign that council bosses have been sleeping on duty for years.

This admission comes as a serious warning to residents to be on high alert this rainy season.

City residents, motorists and shop owners need to exercise caution and brace for the worst. We have already witnessed streets being flooded and virtually impassable on foot.

This shows that flooding of houses and shops is now a possibility in the capital if there is no immediate intervention. The city council seems to have no immediate solution to the impending disaster.

On Monday, there was total chaos in the Harare central business district (CBD) following heavy rains.

There were traffic jams everywhere for the better part of the day, as motorists battled to navigate their way out of town due to the heavy rains. Some motorists were stuck in the downpour, as the flooded streets made it difficult to drive on.

Vendors trading on pavements were also not sparred during the melee as they too were forced to shield their stock. Shoppers and pedestrians were the most affected by clogged storm drains, as busy road intersections were flooded and impassable on foot.

Being the early days of the rainy season, which usually stretches up to March, Harare residents are really in trouble. The panic that gripped shoppers and motorists on Monday painted a picture of a dysfunctional local authority.

Although council spokesperson, Innocent Ruwende, said they had purchased part of the machinery needed to clear all clogged storm drains, it was sad to hear that some drains have not been cleared in the last eight years.

He said they were on course to procure equipment needed to clear the drainage system before year end, but the question is where was council before the rain season.

That it hasn’t cleared drains for eight years means that drains are the least of council’s priorities.

Not only does the flooding affect motorists and pedestrians, but it also damages roads as the rain water flows along the road instead of storm drains.

Vendors have over the years been blamed for blocking drains by keeping their wares in them, but they would not be a menace if council took prepare care of the drainage system.

With the city council admitting failure, there is a need for stakeholders to come together and intervene to bring back normalcy to Harare.

Residents in suburbs like Budiriro, Hopley Farm, Dzivaresekwa Extension, Highfield, Kambuzuma and some parts of Warren Park, which are prone to flooding, need to be on high alert, as council has seemingly thrown in the towel.

Residents are on their own, and until council starts doing something visible to lessen the flooding by clearing all storm drains, they have to put their own individual plans in place to prevent damage to their property due to flooding.

Harare cannot be returned to its yesteryear Sunshine City status if council is failing basic service delivery like clearing storm drains and garbage collection.

Surely residents cannot trust a council that fails to clear drains just once a year before the onset of the rains.

If council cannot do something so basic, then residents might as well just forget about provision of clean water and road maintenance.