Engineers & Planners in Kampala - Flood Risk Priorities 2026

🌧️ KAMPALA AND THE FLOODS: ARE WE REALLY PREPARED FOR THE 2026 RAINS? As Uganda approaches the October–November rainfall peak, renewed warnings about potentially above-normal rainfall and possible flooding should make us pause and ask a bigger question: Why does Kampala continue to flood whenever we experience intense rainfall? Flooding is not simply a problem of "too much rain." It is also about how we plan our cities, how we manage wetlands, how we protect drainage corridors, how we dispose of waste, how we design infrastructure and how we manage stormwater. Every wetland we fill, every drainage reserve we encroach upon, every impervious surface we create and every drain we allow to become blocked changes the way water moves through the city. There are lessons we can learn from countries such as Singapore and the Netherlands, which have moved beyond simply trying to get rid of water as quickly as possible. Singapore manages stormwater from the source, along its pathway and at the point of exposure. The Netherlands has embraced the principle of "Room for the River"—recognising that sometimes the safest approach is to give water space. Perhaps Kampala needs to adopt a similar philosophy: Capture it. Slow it. Store it. Convey it safely. Give it space. We need a combination of: ✅ Better drainage infrastructure ✅ Wetland protection and restoration ✅ Protection of drainage reserves ✅ Stormwater detention in major developments ✅ Improved solid waste management ✅ Better urban planning and enforcement ✅ Flood forecasting and early-warning systems ✅ Catchment-based water management Floods may be natural, but the extent of damage they cause is often influenced by human decisions. I have written a short article exploring what causes flooding, why Kampala remains vulnerable, what other countries are doing differently, and what Uganda could do to build greater flood resilience. 👉 I would particularly like to hear from engineers, planners, environmentalists, policymakers, developers and residents of Kampala: What should be our first priority in reducing Kampala's flood risk? #FloodManagement #Kampala #Uganda #ClimateResilience #UrbanPlanning #StormwaterManagement #Wetlands #WaterManagement #ClimateChange #DisasterRiskReduction #SustainableCities #WASH