SOLOMON BOGALE at Meskel Square

Address localized flooding due to surface water run-off by developing a stormwater drainage master plan and supporting AACRA in assuming its imminent mandate to manage drainage in the city. There is a strong dependency between urban development, roads and drainage, as existing and new roads interrupt natural drainage patterns. Moreover, stormwater drainage infrastructure is often installed under or adjacent to the road network. Run-off has been increasing due to the expanding areas of hard landscape, resulting in more frequent, but short-lived, flash floods, leading to widespread disruption to the road network. The expected increase in run-off will have implications for flooding in the city and could worsen the present loss of lives and properties. Those living on land prone to flooding during heavy rainfall events (e.g. riverbanks, low lying areas, etc.) will be at greater risk should these rainfall events become more commonplace. An approach to urban drainage needs to be taken at a city-wide scale, and a new urban drainage master plan should be coordinated with the Integrated Development Plan, based on hydraulic modeling that includes anticipated impacts due to climate change. Moreover, the effective operation of the drainage system will require improvements in solid waste management to ensure that drains are not clogged by waste. As this is a new mandate, AACRA will require technical suppo