Consider climate change during road construction

One of the most famous quotes attributed to Albert Einstein is, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”That would suggest that one must change his approach to solving a problem until they find a lasting solution. That kind of thinking, however, seems to be alien to the leadership at the Uganda National Roads Authority (Unra), Uganda Road Fund (URF) and the Ministry of Works and Transport.

The rains of the last few weeks have been causing flooding on some of the major roads leading into Kampala City. Kyambogo and Banda on the Kampala-Jinja highway, and the overpass at Kinawattaka wetland have witnessed some of the worst flooding in recent years even when considerable efforts have been put into widening the drainage and water channels in the areas.

That the flooding recurs at the same spots even after the channels have been expanded at great cost to the taxpayers not only speaks volumes about the workmanship but also suggests that bodies such as Unra, URF and the Ministry of Works are not alive to the need to change their approach to fixing the problem.Have they considered tweaking the design for the Kyambogo and Banda sections of the road? Have they, for example, considered the possibility of elevating the road in those sections? Have they considered the possibility of constructing concrete overpasses as opposed to the use of culverts?

The recurring floods also point to a lack of foresight and information on the part of the leadership at Unra, URF, the Ministry of Works and other entities that are mandated with maintaining our roads.

They need to be brought up to speed with the need to bear the effects of climate change in mind as the country draws up plans for either maintenance or construction of new road infrastructure.

Project planners must always put in place contingency plans for floods and hurricanes which have become common occurrences on account of widespread shifts in weather systems which have been precipitated by the rise in global temperatures.

However, even as we make a case for a change in approach and putting matters climate change at the centre of the project planning processes, we are afraid that those alone will not help unless we integrate periodic maintenance in these plans. That calls for a reconsideration of the decision to scrap what was once known as the Public Works Department under the Ministry of Works and Transport.