ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Road Flooding in Kigali City, Rwanda:
Causes, Effects on Road Transportation
and Mitigation Measures
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1
School of Traffic and Transportation, Lanzhou Jiaotong University, Lanzhou, 730070, China
2
School of Environmental and Municipal Engineering, Lanzhou Jiaotong University, Lanzhou, 730070, China
Submission date: 2021-10-26
Final revision date: 2022-01-24
Acceptance date: 2022-01-28
Online publication date: 2022-05-20
Publication date: 2022-07-12
Corresponding author
Yu Zhang
Lanzhou Jiaotong University, China
Pol. J. Environ. Stud. 2022;31(4):3735-3744
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ABSTRACT
Flooding can have an effect on each thing of our lives, including road transportation. This study
investigated the causes and the effects of flooding on road transportation in Rwanda, Kigali city and
contributed to the mitigation measures. The data were collected by administering 150 questionnaires
on the respondents within the study area and by physical survey. The hypotheses were formulated
and tested using the statistical method of student’s t- test and the data displayed a significant difference
(P<0.05). The results of this study revealed that heavy rains, poor drainage systems, illegal disposal
of waste in drains, and poor construction and maintenance of roads are the main causes of road flooding
in the city of Kigali. The effects of floods on road transportation include traffic jam and increased
travel time, damage to road structures, blockage of drains and traffic accidents in the study area.
The study recommends green storm water infrastructure practices, good road construction works,
controlled dumping sites, the construction and maintenance of drainage systems and an immediate
government response to the threat of flooding to address the challenges of flooding on road transportation
in the city of Kigali.