Infrastructure must be climate resilient

YESTERDAY, travellers from Chingola and Chililabombwe in Copperbelt Province were left stranded after Kakoso Bridge collapsed due to heavy rains.
The area experienced a heavy downpour on Saturday night, which washed away the bridge.
Road Development Agency head of corporate affairs Anthony Mulowa explained that preliminary investigations point to the failure of existing culverts caused by excessive storm water.
He added that while a temporary detour will be created to restore movement, the team will later focus on long-term solutions.
Copperbelt Province Minister Elisha Matambo further stated that Avic International, the company that built the road, has been tasked with constructing a lasting bridge as a permanent solution to the problem.
This incident is not isolated. Just a few months ago, culverts on the Great East Road were washed away, leaving passengers stranded.
In Lundazi, bridges and roads were also destroyed by heavy rains.
These repeated failures show that it cannot be business as usual.
We cannot continue building roads the same way in the face of climate change. The heavy rains and flooding experienced this season are not a one-off event.
With climate change, we must expect more extreme weather conditions, including floods, almost every year.
This means our roads must be built to withstand such challenges.
If we fail to adapt, we will continue to waste resources and leave communities vulnerable.
Last week Minister of Local Government and Rural Development Gift Sialubalo advised contractors and engineering consultants to be patient and thorough when designing roads. That call was timely.
The minister observed that many of our roads cannot stand the test of time.
The washing away of our road infrastructure by the elements exposes serious weaknesses in the way these roads are built.
We have seen some collapse after just one rainy season, which is unacceptable. This cannot be blamed entirely on the weather – it also reflects poor quality and weak construction standards. Sadly, this
has become a recurring pattern across much of our road network, leaving communities vulnerable.
When roads collapse too soon after construction, the consequences are severe. Farmers are cut off from markets, children struggle to reach schools, and patients are cut off from hospitals.
Entire communities are left isolated, and the economy suffers.
Roads are lifelines that connect people, goods and services. If they fail, everything else is disrupted.
This is why there is an urgent need for contractors to rethink their approach to infrastructure development. They must build for the future bearing in mind climate change.
Mr Sialubalo rightly observed that many contractors neglect essential features such as drainage systems. A road without proper drainage is like a house without a roof – it simply cannot endure. It is a disaster waiting to happen. When billions of Kwacha are invested in projects that collapse after a single rainy season, the result is public frustration and a waste of taxpayers’ money.
And it’s only normal for the Government to expect contractors to deliver works of a high standard. Indeed, “we need to ensure all components required for a quality road are incorporated in construction. Ensuring quality work is a must”.
Mr Sialubalo’s call for quality should not stop at road construction. It must extend to every project – schools, hospitals, housing, and even smaller ventures like the new car park at the University of Zambia. Even such projects must be built with durability in mind.
When contractors rush or cut corners, the repercussions can be dire. Every collapsed road is a collapsed opportunity.
Contractors who fail to deliver quality should face consequences.
It is not enough to simply warn them. They should be barred from future projects if they cannot meet expected standards.