LOCAL Government Minister Gary Nkombo says government intends to enforce the public nuisance law as a way of dealing with members of the public fond of littering garbage in undesignated places.
Speaking in Parliament, Thursday, Nkombo noted that one of the things which caused flooding in most parts of the country was the littering of garbage.
“The second thing that has caused flooding in our communities, Madam Speaker, is the issue of indiscriminate littering of garbage, especially plastics. We are intending to enforce the public nuisance law, and through this platform, allow me just to state that we are making sure that anybody who is found by law enforcers indiscriminately littering garbage in all areas other than the designated ones will be faced with the full wrath of the law,” he said.
And Nkombo said government was also trying to broaden the existing drainage systems and also create order by making sure that all settlements were planned and authorized going forward, as a way of reducing floods.
“One of the main reasons why there is flooding in Kanyama and most parts of our country is because of unplanned and therefore unauthorized settlements which do not take into consideration water parts. And so if water is not given passage, it becomes an enemy to yourselves. Part of what we are doing as a new dawn government is to make sure we broaden the existing drainages and also create order by making sure that all settlements are planned and authorized going into the future,” he said.
“The example I can give you at the moment, Madam Speaker, is that many people around our communities have built wall fences for their immediate residences or places of business without putting due consideration to water flow. We are as the authority making sure that we go in the community and make sure we create these water passages that will drop into the Bombay drain that was gifted to us by the Millenium challenge account in order for us to circumvent any further flooding.”
He said the construction of drainages in Kanyama constituency had resumed after receiving some funding for the project.
“The construction of the drainage system in Kanyama parliamentary constituency had stalled due to funding constraints. The project has resumed having received some funding in the first quarter of this year. The government is expediting the works to complete the project subject to the availability of more funding in order to avert the fear of flooding,” said Nkombo.
Nkombo was responding to UPND Kanyama member of parliament Monty Chinkuli who wanted to find out why the construction of the drainage system in Kanyama constituency had stalled.
