Maravi

‘Shifting families is no solution to floods’

‘Shifting families is no solution to floods’
By Masuzyo Chakwe and Sandra Mulowa
Sun 28 Mar. 2010, 04:00 CAT

ZAMBIA Institute of Planners (ZIP) president Simeo Siame has said no amount of shifting families from one disaster location to another is ever going to provide a lasting solution to the problems of floods.

Commenting on the flood disasters in the country, Siame said the whole problem required a planned approach and coming up with a comprehensive solution of multiple approaches.

He said one such approach was the relocation of the hard hit populations into the JICA Lusaka new master plan satellite.

"Commercial and industrial activities could be moved concurrently into these new locations so that the flooded areas are abandoned. To re-plan the affected areas will amount to colossal amounts of money which resources this government cannot afford," he said.

Siame said the disaster areas lie on terrain, which could not be modified cheaply in order to transform it in a manner to accommodate human habitation.
He said this would be the cheaper way out of this predicament than to try and drain water from the presently affected areas.

Siame said the nation needed to debate this issue at the highest level in order to deepen the understanding of the magnitude of the problem while seeking a more lasting solution to the current flooding problems.

He said the hardships being faced by the Zambian people in this rainy season had been nurtured by man himself.

Siame said professional advice had abounded on proper land use practices as well as environment protection and preservation, which by and large had been ignored by the same people who now feel that the government owes then restitution.

He said facts showed that available township master plans and land use maps would show that the land that was eventually invaded by squatters was zoned as open space since it was not found suitable for human habitation.

Siame said despite this fact, home seekers nevertheless still moved in and commenced construction.

He said the construction of buildings was never approved or supervised by anybody, let alone a qualified town planner.

Siame said the building materials used to construct such structures were substandard, while construction specifications were non-existent.

He said such structures were located on solid rock with hardly any thought given to drainage channels whatsoever as there was no planning authority in charge for a layout plan.

Siame said from the town and country planning profession point of view therefore, all those residents so adversely affected by subsequent flooding could only have themselves to blame for having not hided the law in the first place.

And Kabwe district commissioner Jonathan Kapungwe has directed the council to stop issuing plots in flood-prone areas.

In an interview on Thursday, Kapungwe said the council had the responsibility not to allocate plots in flood-prone areas.

"I am directing the council that they should stop allocating plots in areas flooded, they should identify land were these people can go and stay in upper land. I am sure the council will do their part," he said.

And Kapungwe said the 57 families from Makululu had been relocated to the council hall while the 17 families from Kasanda had been integrated with families within the compound.

And Kapungwe said there were five confirmed cholera cases from Makululu and Kawama but the situation was under control.

Labels: FLOODS, ZAMBIA INSTITUTE OF PLANNERS

posted by MrK @ 4:05 PM