Meteorological forecasts show that this year’s rainy season will be harsher than ever before. Inasmuch as above-average rainfall levels have beneficial effects at a time when millions of Ethiopians are in need of emergency food assistance due to the devastating El Niño phenomenon, they are also liable to destroy crops as well as buildings and costly interstate and urban roads. The pertinent agencies in particular need to take proactive measures to avert the potential damage that heavy flooding may cause to roads and bridges.
The loss of life and extensive property damage that the deluge which hit the city of Adama, 100km south-east of the capital, last Sunday reinforces the point we are trying to make. The downpour broke the city’s drainage lines, flooding residences, hotels and other establishments in some five districts. It also claimed the life of a child and carried away scores of cars. The flooding is a harbinger of similar tragedies in numerous towns across the country.
Practically all the roads in Addis Ababa are prone to flooding whenever sustained rain falls for even less than an hour. Failure to take strict measures against the clogging of the inadequate drainage lines of the city through the careless disposal of solid waste means they simply cope with the projected heavy rains of the next two to three months causing floods that not only destroy lives and properties but also severely hamper the movement of people and vehicles. The fact that the use and maintenance of road infrastructure, whose construction accounts for a significant chunk of the national budget annually, is not accorded the attention it duly deserves shortens their life span as well as that of the vehicles which use them. The adverse economic implications of this at the individual level to the country are all too obvious. As a nation we can ill afford the unnecessary expenditure of desperately needed foreign currency for road upkeep works, which are as costly as building the roads themselves, and the acquisition of spare-parts for cars, as well as medical costs incurred to treat accidents prompted by bad road conditions. Hence, the government agencies entrusted with the responsibility of the administration and the supervision of roads are duty-bound to discharge their responsibilities with a sense of ownership and dedication.
One would do well to bear in mind that there is no escaping liability should a calamity occur owing to negligence to take pre-emptive actions before the onset of the rainy season. Offering lame excuses to defend indecision on such a grave matter cannot absolve the concerned officials from being held answerable for their inaction for individuals and the entire nation. At a time when unaccountability across practically all sectors is harming the national interest and the government has vowed to be more committed than ever before to tackling any form of bad governance, it is inexplicable why simple measures like repairing flood-damaged roads, restoring to good shape broken-down drainage systems, erecting flood defenses along vulnerable sites, etc., before the expected heavy rains exact a terrible price.
Neglecting to safeguard roads when citizens living in flood-prone areas are being relocated and the effects of deadly floods have already been acutely felt in some urban centers is bound to wreak havoc. There is no use in trying to cope with the aftermath of the floods instead of undertaking making thorough preparations aimed at preventing the specter of an avoidable disaster. This is why it is of paramount importance that the government and the public at large do whatever is possible to prevent the devastation of the nation’s road infrastructures by floods and the ensuing dire consequences.
