TERRIBLE PLANNING- TERRIBLE RESULTS AS HOMES FLOOD

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By Jill Mangachena

POOR town planning for Chitungwiza is resulting in some residential houses being flooded with water after heavy rains.

Most of the recently settled areas, like Zengeza 4 (Pagomba) New St Mary’s and Manyame Park, are the most affected for these settlements that are situated in wetlands.

Residents who spoke to Chitownews Team, complained about the inhabbitable state of the locations during the rainy season.

“It is increasingly becoming hard to live like this. Water is rising up from the floors in my house while some is flowing from outside and it’s destroying my furniture. And if you go outside, its also difficult to walk or drive around for there are pools of water everywhere,” said Melissa Muunge (32) a resident of Zengeza 4.

Some residents living in the wetlands revealed their anger and disappointment in the city council saying that high levels of corruption has led the town council to sell residential stands to desperate citizens in wetlands prone to flooding after periods of heavy rains.

“It is not healthy to live like this. It is just like living in a river. Now we do not even wish for the rains to come for as soon as they come, our problems begin while others will be celebrating life,” continued Muunge.

Motorists living in the most affected areas have to leave their cars near the main roads for their cars can not navigate the donga roads leading to their houses as they will heavily flooded with rainy water.

“This is very inconvenient for me and I am sure for others as well. I have to carry two pairs of shoes everyday to work so that I can change into the other pair of gumboots because I have to walk the rest of the way home in the pools of water leading to my house and my work shoes won’t be suitable for such a walk. I also can not park my car in my yard because of the dongas and potholed road network,” said Pascal Nyamutora of Manyame Park.

Residents have suggested that there is need for an efficient drainage system so that rain water can flow and collect into nearby rivers where it is most needed.

“If there was a good drainage system in our town maybe we wouldn’t even be experiencing these terrible floods in our houses and outside and in the streets,” said Eunice Moyo of St Mary’s.

Some residents have suggested that there should be a law against settling people in wetlands and relief measures must be put in place as alternative solutions for those already settled in wetlands.

“My family and all the others affected have no other option but to stay for we already bought these stands and built our houses, but it is clear that we should live in fear  as these houses can easily self destruct while we are inside or we could be flooded in if we continue experiencing heavy rains,” said Baba Tawanda of Manyame Park.

“If there were alternative solutions like in other countries where the government has laws guarding against our situation or resettling us in other areas without costs we would gladly take those alternatives,” continued Baba Tawanda.

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