Thursday, March 28, 2024

Kulima Bus Station flooding due to serious contract omission-Mayor

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Mini bus sharing sidewalk with pedestrians because middle of road is flooded
File:Mini bus sharing sidewalk with pedestrians because middle of road is flooded

Lusaka Mayor Daniel Chisenga has disclosed that the drainage system at Kulima tower bus station in Lusaka has not been worked on because it was omitted in the renovation contract for all other pieces of infrastructure at the station.Speaking during a media briefing in Lusaka today, Mr. Chisenga regretted that the drainage component was omitted when the renovation contract was signed with the contractors.He described the omission as serious.He noted that it was because of this omission that the bus station experiences flooding after rains.

Mr. Chisenga however assured the public that a proper drainage system will be put up at the station in phase two of the renovations which will commence soon.He said the council was concerned about the flood situation in several parts of the city and has therefore commenced emergency works on drainages.

Mr. Chisenga said the emergency works include unblocking and reinstating drains along roads in the central business district and residential areas in Lusaka.He also disclosed that about KR200 million has so far been spent on drainage works in the city.

And Mr. Chisenga said the council was facing challenges of clearing waste generated from drainages because it has no light trucks.
He said the council has not been very effective in working on drainages along Cairo Road due to lack of equipment to unblock underground drainages.

Mr. Chisenga explained that the council has to hire equipment it uses to unblock underground drainages at a high cost.He called on the public to be patient as government wants to find a lasting solution that will make yearly flooding a thing of the past.

27 COMMENTS

  1. foolish this problem happens every year and dont do it as if is new.why omitting the problem that u should work on? i can see corruption there so that u can be eating money in the name of drainage please ACC visit these fools council staff

  2. Your War-ship, find a temporary measure for now and ypu can later find a permanent solution in dry season ok, Period. You are not serious you guys.

  3. The drainage fools made was like it a done by grade seven boys!!!! Am ashamed to be in zambia to be zambian, the mediority is just too much.Doesnt lusaka’city council have engineers and planners? just such simple works they fail to do.They should have given the contract to the chinese.Chinese would have done a better job with proper flood lights and better infrastructure such as automatic flushing toilets,PA systems etc
    I guess the council is fulll of people who are not schooled.
    grade sevens!!!

  4. Just enjoy the fruits of indecision. Lusaka city council has planners and engineers who are not allowed to perform their functions due to political restrictions. If you think drainage problems can go in a flush; you are a typical Zambian that believes god will solve all these problems. Yet God says sweat for things; without that; forget.

  5. LCC is a place for faluires and thats why they cant perform even 10% better. honestly Zambia has gone to the dogs. we thought by the coming of the PF we are going to see changes including markets and bustations but now its seems we are going backward. come on guys we cxan do better

    • What is needed is to sublet these structures.Just look at the town centre toilet and kulima tower.We pay K500 .But it is filthy and waterlogged.If you go next to millenium bus station the the toilets are clean.The councils in this country are generally lethargic.

  6. WHAT ABOUT OTHER ROADS ?
    WE KNOW YOU ALWAYS BUY WAY OUT THE RAINY SEASON .
    WHAT MORE NOW THAT IT WAS THE BASIS AS PROMISED THAT YOU WERE VOTED INTO POWER.

  7. Baba, here is a solution. SHUT UP and fix it, but while you are at it please explain to me where you take money raised from:
    1. Marketeers in every market in LSK who pay K1.5 every day
    2. Billboards
    3. Minibus Levies K20 per day for every bus
    3. Licenses
    4. Rates
    5. Service Charges
    Plus the funding you get from the central government.
    the first three generate billions in a matter of days and you fail to budget for trucks for garbage collection and street sweeping? That is just unacceptable when I saw your procurement officers in a seemingly brand new Isuzu KB 280 which I am sre is jst one of several your council bought. PRIORITIZE sha!

  8. WHAT ABOUT OTHER ROADS ?
    WE KNOW YOU NOW HAVE THE EXPERIENCE OF PERENNIALLY BUYING YOUR WAY OUT EVERY RAINY SEASON .
    FOR THE FIRST TIME THIS YEAR YOU HAVE MANAGED TO MUZZLE NEWS ABOUT FLOOD IN SOME KNOWN COMPOUNDS .
    WHAT MORE NOW THAT IT WAS THE BASIS AS PROMISED THAT YOU WERE VOTED INTO POWER.

  9. I thought Michael Sata’s Son Mulenga was the mayor? In alleged corruption appointment? Educate me pliz UPND losers

  10. @ Gonclaves that is not a fair statement. We start focussing on solutions more. Look at th statement I made above, the first step to finding a solution is to make sure that the council is held accountable and responsible for its people and city and more importantly the future.There is no way a local authority can be running like a chicken in the yard just waiting for the day its head will be chopped off. Zambia is not a failed state, it lacks proper leadership and ultimately direction. So stop saying what you are saying what yo are and help us solve these problems.

    • I think Gonclaves’ comment is not meant to be literal; it is said out of the frustration many have and is purposely cynical. Omitting the drainage system from the renovation plans is the height of negligence, dereliction of duty, shows the lack of oversight in not only LCC but government as a whole. Collectively they are a bunch of hinderance to progress in Zambia, and that’s putting it mildly. Individually, I would venture to say there may be some who are up to the task but because optimal function as a government unit requires team work, something most of them can not fathom, it makes for an impossible work environment. As mayor, the buck stops with him, so he should be fired as should everyone else involved directly with the project(s). It will send a message that we’ve had it.

    • @ Voodoo, I like what you say, yes it’s not just the mayor who’s head should roll for this inexcusable oversight, the town clerk and engineers have to face the music too! It simply goes to show that they never double checked their work, with flooding that goes on EVERY year, how could it be an oversight? I suggest the ACC goes there to investigate and get to the bottom of this, I am sure there will be a lot of improprieties connected to this project and subsequent substandard work. The ablutions there are still as dirty as they were in 1995, with poor water flow and one toilet for the thousands of people that station. Whoever is the minister of Local Government should do something as well.

  11. Second phase? Great, I suppose there will be a “third phase” for the next thing you forget. Oh yeah, now I remember, it does rain in Lusaka….ooops!

    Serious, and now this government wants to build UNDERGROUND tunnels for high speed trains? How many “phases” (and deaths) will that one take to get right. Ventilation and emergency lighting? That will be for Phase 5. Wonderful!

    Still, at least the mayor didn’t try to blame this on MMD – PF has controlled LCC for years so this “oversight” of the fact it does rain was entirely on their watch.

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