It is that time of the year when the heavens open and heavy downpour pounces on mighty Rwanda. Some experts argue that this year’s rainfall came a little too early, attributing the changing weather patterns to climate change.

With the heavy rains, most people find shelter or retreat to the safe confines of their workplaces and homes. However, as an engineer, I receive many calls to rescue people after rain hits their roofs and the water flows into their houses. I visit these homes and find plastic buckets and basins strategically positioned below the leaks to catch the stubborn drops with annoying sounds as they drip. And after the rains have subsided, they leave a disgruntled homeowner and a nasty stain on the ceiling that can be a sore to the eye.

I feel the pain of the homeowner. The function of the roof is to protect the residents. Roofs retain the heat during the cold season or cool down the house during the hot season. When the protector is not serving their purpose, it is mostly a case of engineers and constructors not doing their job as opposed to the gruesome mother nature. It all boils down to three major flaws: How the roof was designed, how it was built, and how regularly it is maintained.

This issue mainly affects those using clay tiles or iron sheets for roofing. For the clay roofs, it is normally due to the growth of algae, lichen, and moss, which cause cracks on the tiles and hence the leakage. In my ten years of experience with construction, the major causes of leaking roofs I have found whenever I receive a phone call to diagnose the problem is poor skill and technique when building the structure that supports the roof.

Most roof structures in Rwanda are built with either timber or steel. To attach iron sheets to these structures, nails are used. It is the nail holes where water tends to find its way. To avoid this, construction workers are advised to put nails at the intersections where the iron sheets overlap. When building, remember to check the credentials of the builders. Use professionals, and they will know where to place the nails and where to avoid them. If you are buying a house, thoroughly check before you move in. Any additional work on the roof should also involve experts; for example, if you need a water heater installed on the roof, or a satellite dish mounted, the technicians should always work alongside a roofing expert. Roof leaks come with all sorts of weather patterns, and in my years of experience, it helps to know when the leaks happen. Is it during heavy rains? Which could be associated with the type of roof design, but I will cover those in future articles.

Another important ritual to avoid leaks is regular cleaning of the gutters, especially if you have trees in your surroundings. Residents must ensure that gutters are cleaned on a regular basis, specifically at the beginning of every rainy season. Leaves, dust, and debris tend to find their way to roofs, pile up and clog the gutters, affecting the smooth water flow. The clay roofs need cleaning too. If not removed early, the algae, lichen, and moss that grows on the clay will damage the tiles, and water will seep through those cracks. As the saying goes, water always finds its way, and while this will always hold, human ingenuity has enabled us to make the inside of our homes out of water’s way.