Rains expose Blantyre's poor drainage system

Heavy rains in Blantyre have exposed, yet again, the city's poor water drainage system, with water flloding into shops in the Central Business District.

Blantyre: Beautiful city marred by a poor drainage system

The rains, which are still falling now, have forced such shops as White Rose Botique, Jeet Hardware, among others, to close down as knee-high rain water continue to flow into the shops.
A motorcyle, Dz 1745, is half-merged in water, and a dozen drivers outside White Rose Botique are stranded- unable to get into their vehicles because of the dirty water sorrounding their vehicles.
"The situation is very bad. This has been a longtime problem and the Blantyre City Assembly seems to be failing us. Of course, they have tried to renovate and repair the drainage system but, everytime the rains come, we continue to experince the same problem: water overflows into shops," says Michael Banda, owner of a Toyota Camry vehicle Registration Number CZ 254 now sorrounded by water.
Its tyres are submerged. Banda has to take off his shoes if he wants to go home now.
Blantyre City Assembly officials say the city has a development plan, but bemoan lack of public interest in the same, saying the development has translated into increased numbers of infrastructre constructed in undesignated places.