A land scum has been unearthed some unscrupulous people have invaded the banks of Kafubu river in Ndola by allocating themselves pieces of lands for residential plots.
Following Copperbelt Province Permanent Secretary Augustine Kasongo directive recently to get facts about the scum, a check by team of government officials from various departments revealed over 100 hundred houses coming up so fast.
Likewise, Mr. Kasongo has directed Ndola City Council and Water Resource Management Authority ( WARMA ) to immediately stop the illegalities surrounding the water body.
Mr. Kasongo said he is disappointed that his directive on the council not to be giving plots in river banks has still continued, while some people have taken the law into their own hands by allocating themselves pieces of land without following procedure.
“That’s not correct, this is what is putting government under unnecessary pressure. The rain season is just around the corner and will be running up and down. Such should not be tolerated,” Mr. Kasongo said.
And Jonathan Mwansa who was delegation leader has called for a stop to all the construction works along the river banks.
Dr. Mwansa said the risk involved in the building of houses in the recharge area for Kafubu river is not only to the risk of flooding but that of health in terms of sanitation.
Dr. Mwansa emphasised the need to protect the water body from contamination adding that it will also be hard to fight malaria as a country if people continue building in such areas.
“I think the recommendation colleagues, we have seen the dangers of housing people here. First and foremost we need to stop the building and reverse the damage that is being caused to this area,” Dr. Mwansa said.
Meanwhile, Regional Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit-DMMU, George Akalemwa said allowing people to build on the river banks will mean more work and expenditure for government.
Mr. Akalemwa said it is cheaper to halt the developments than what will come out should the construction go ahead.
WARMA Acting Sub-Catchment Manager, Alex Kasonde added that the authority has already into action by giving stop orders to those that have build in the recharge zone.
“Protection of recharge zones is multi sectoral but all keys stakeholders so that we protect our water bodies,” he said.
Meanwhile, Ndola City Council through Lovemore Tembo, an Environmental Planner said the local authority is not aware of the development.
Mr. Tembo stated sometime back in March,2022, the council told the developers to stop but they that they continue to build with impunity
Ati we voted change. Now look what is happening under upnd. These thugs have not even been in govt for a year and are stealing like no man’s business. We warned you
The upnd were accusing us of being thieves. Kanshi all along they are the ones stealing
GET REAL THIS IS PURELY A PF HANGOVER
THEY WILL BE EVICTED
Ndola is my hometown and I know just how corrupt the city council there is regarding land. They have obliterated the parks in town and corruptly sold the land while everybody was looking and doing nothing. The trend has just continued. Someone needs to get to the roots of that kind of corruption because it wont go
KZ, Do you know that majority of councilors are PF in Ndola. At least now they have been told to stop unlike the way you destroyed the Chalimbana River recharge in Forest 27. This is not going to happen. PF thieves cleaning their money
LT use some educated Zambian educated writers that know how to write proper stories in english. in the story you keep using scum, its scam not scum- scum means low life.