Poor drainage system
Locals in the Kampala Metropolitan Area have asked the Kampala Capital City Authority to improve on the drainage system to avoid flooding in the city.
This morning, pedestrians and motorists alike, were left stranded after heavy rains that occurred yesterday, rendered various roads impassable. The roads were heavily flooded, making it impossible for cars to navigate through the murky waters. A majority chose to turn around.
Some of the locals our reporter interacted with this morning at Namanve along Jinja-Kampala highway, were stranded as traffic came to a standstill and most people could not access their businesses or places of work. They are appealing to KCCA to fix the drainage system to avoid such challenges.
“I failed to pass through the water with my car and had to turn around ,the poor drainage system leads to floods and this is coupled with the pot holes on roads.so with my tomatoes to sell i had to make a u-turn which is a business loss for me in addition to fuel costs ,now what if it rains again tomorrow ”one female trader transporting tomatoes from Mukono explained
“When it rains like it did ,we delay to go to work or arrive dirty after moving through roads filled with water ,i request the government to fix the drainage system so that water passage is smooth ”another resident of Namanve stated
“Our infrastructure is appalling to the extent that when it rains heavily ,our shops flood ,we cannot move ,there is heavy traffic, KCCA needs to get to work ”a saloon operator in Kireka said
Poor drainage system
Kampala Capital City Authority-KCCA set aside Shillings 9 billion to patch potholes on different city roads. The money is from the Authority Budget for 2020/2021 for infrastructure works in Kampala, which includes road construction.
There have been several incidents in which people have drowned in sewers and drainage channels as a result of poor infrastructure and poor drainage system measures.Recently the Minister for Kampala Betty Amongi said the Shillings 9 billion will also cater for drainage system works, including construction of box culverts at areas prone to flooding.
The Authority receives Shillings 26 billion from the road fund for road maintenance.
A Uganda Police Annual Report 2018, indicates that the Fire and Emergency Rescue Service responded to 15 incidents occurring in trenches, channels and 10 incidents as a result of floods in the city.
