The Rwanda Transport Development Agency and the Rwanda Natural Resources Authority have unveiled a Rwf1.2b plan to redesign and improve the Nyabugogo drainage system.The project includes construction of a retention pond at River Muhazi channel, redesigning all the drainage water banks and reconstruction of a section of the road network to the area that has become a death trap from floods, Eric Ntagengerwa, the head of planning at the Rwanda Transport Development Agency, said.He said the project that is already underway would take two months to complete.Three people were killed by raging floods last rainy season, which also property worth millions of francs in Nyabugogo. The official noted that the agency was working with Rwanda Natural Resources Authority to find a long-term and more sustainable measure to help protect people and their businesses. “The Rwanda Natural Resources Authority is currently conducting a study which will recommend the appropriate long-term solution to the Nyabugogo floods,” he said. Ntagengerwa explained that the current drainage banks cannot contain 57cubic metres floods per second discharged from the Muhazi water channel, saying their capacity was below 25 cubic metres per second compared to the peak discharge. “This gap coupled with poor waste disposal methods results into flooding every rainy season,” he said.He said the need to redesign this commercial hub is paramount given Nyabugogo’s topography. “The City of Kigali authorities have to conduct awareness campaigns to ensure that waste is disposed of properly.”
