More than Rwf12 billion is set to be invested in saving businesses and lives from floods in six flood risk hot spots across the City of Kigali, according to Merard Mpabwanamaguru, the Vice Mayor in charge of Urbanisation and Infrastructure.
The six areas, he said, are Rugunga in Kicukiro district, Rwandex in Kicukiro district, as well as Gisozi-Mukindo zone, Gisozi-Karuruma zone, Kinyinya and Nyabisindu areas of Gasabo district.
The funding is part of a $55 million project that is also set to upgrade unplanned settlements and develop a storm water management master plan in the capital.
Apart from funding from the project funded by the World Bank, the City also allocated Rwf4.5 billion to manage floods in the capital as part of the 2022/23 budget.
Saving Nyabugogo commercial hub
The City Manager, Julian Rugaza, said that Rwf1.7 billion will be invested in completing two bridges of the Mpazi drainage and Nyabugogo channel in order to stop floods that often affect the Nyabugogo commercial hub.
The stalled Mpazi project left businesses counting losses during different times of floods. The drainage system in question collects waste and rainwater from homes in the sectors of Nyamirambo, Gitega and Kimisagara all in Nyarugenge.
When flooded, it affects businesses in the busy Nyabugogo area. According to studies, Nyabugogo businesses lose up to Rwf178 million to flooding, annually.
Funded by Rwanda Green Fund (FONERWA), the Mpazi project will improve the resilience of the Nyabugogo area to flooding by enhancing the hydraulic conveyance capacity of Mpazi channel and Nyabugogo River.
It will have a flood monitoring system as well as a system for monitoring water flow within the Nyabugogo floodplain. The Mpazi drainage channel is being expanded while two major bridges are being widened to enable direct flow of drainage water into the river.
Why has Mpazi project delayed?
Besides stalling when the city terminated a deal with the contractor, the project cost was also increased.
In September last year, the City of Kigali indicated that the increase in the cost of constructing two bridges on Mpazi channel in order to tackle flooding in Nyabugogo commercial area resulted from the abnormally rising rainwater levels in Kigali occasioned by climate change.
The audit carried out in April by the Auditor General noted irregularities in the construction of the two bridges.
It indicated that on November 6, 2019, the City of Kigali signed a one-year contract of more than Rwf2 billion with Signon Corporation Ltd for construction works of the two Mpazi channel bridges.
But, according to the audit, after updates of the design and Bills of Quantities, on September 1, 2020, the city signed a new contract of Rwf7.7 billion with the same firm for construction works of the two bridges.
The contract would be executed within seven months.
On April 1, 2020, the contract duration was extended by six months.
However, the audit noted that eight months after signing the new contract, the audit field visit noted that the progress of works was at 56.32 per cent and the contractor was paid more than Rwf3.1 billion.
Rugaza also said that Rwf1.4 billion was allocated to the ongoing construction of two critical ravines.
These are the Rwimbogo-Ruragendwa in Kicukiro district and Kabusunzu-APACE ravines in Nyarugenge district.
As noted, studies for new ravines will also be conducted at the cost of Rwf500,000.
In 2020, the City of Kigali acknowledged that it was facing a Rwf30 billion funding shortfall for rehabilitating and expanding several drainages that usually cause flooding.