Residents of Nyarugenge District have been warned against dumping waste in Mpazi water drainage following the completion of its reconstruction by the City of Kigali.

The 5km-Mpazi water drainage stretches from Rwezamenyo market to Nyabugogo River in Muhima Sector.It connects several sectors including Nyakabanda, Kimisagara, Rwezamenyo, Gitega and Muhima.

The drain was first constructed on the funding of the European Union (EU) between 2005 and 2008, but was later clogged up resulting into flooding which destroyed several houses and claimed some lives in the area.

"There has been rehabilitation and creation of small water gullies in the neighbouring areas to enhance its capacity to withstand water pressure,” Jean de Dieu Uwizeyimana, Unpaved Roads maintenance Engineer at the Infrastructure unit in Kigali City, told this paper last week.

"Local leaders are urged to prevent residents from dumping waste material in the drain as it will immediately block it,” Uwizeyimana said.

The contractor was Ecodac Ltd and the city spent about Rwf265 million on its reconstruction which took five months, between October 2013 and April 2014.

"The aim of the rehabilitation was to reduce consequences resulting from overflowing such as drowing of people and destruction of houses,” Uwizeyimana explained.

Fabien Mukeshimana, one of the engineers who supervised the reconstruction, warned that the drainage will always be dangerous to residents unless it’s protected from blockage which can lead to water overflow.

"It is an asset in controlling water but can become dangerous during heavy rains,” he said.

Local leaders in the area commended the reconstruction, saying it helped reduce the danger to life and property.

Jean Baptiste Nsengiyumva, the Director of Risk Reduction and Preparedness Unit at the Ministry of Disaster Management and Refugee Affairs, told The New Times that despite reconstruction of the drain, the place is not secure as it lies in a high risk zone.

"The area has many risks, for example, in Kimisagara Sector, some people have buildings close to water gullies,” Nsengiyumva said.

"We have advised residents to leave the area but some of them still wait for the government to expropriate them,” he added.

Research conducted by the Ministry of Disaster Management and Refugee Affairs on disaster risk zones in 2012, showed that a big part of Mpazi ravine was exposed to floods and landslides.

This is due to various factors such as steep slopes, low level of drainage system, and soil instability, among others.

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