Lusaka residents petition President Lungu to stop construction of Kingslands City in a Forest Reserve

Some Lusaka residents under the Chalimbana River Headwaters Conservation Trust have petitioned President Edgar Lungu over fears that developments on one of the few aquifers in Lusaka will lead to the depletion of groundwater resources in the capital city.

Kingsland City located adjacent to Zambia Air Force Twin Palm Base along Twin Palm Road is being developed via a public private partnership between government through ZAF, and three developers, namely; Datong Construction, Drimtown Investments, and Shangria Investments for facility concessions ranging from 20 to 28 years.

Kingsland City, set on 583 hectares of land, will have mixed-use facilities such as hotels, a world class university, conference center, housing, sports complex, amusement park, vehicle service stations, shopping malls, golf course, and ZAF Academy and Messes among others.

The project is estimated at US$1.4 billion.

During construction phase, over 2, 000 jobs will be created.

But residents of Lusaka’s Chalimbana area have petitioned President Lungu to immediately stop the development as it is encroaching on a Forest Reserve No. 27 which is the source of the main recharge area for the Chalimbana River system.

They contended that the Chalimbana River system is critical to the socio-economic livelihood of the Chongwe and Chalimbana river catchment area.

The residents have since asked President Lungu to take measures to protect and conserve Lusaka East Forest Reserve No. 27 by ordering the immediate stop to the illegal construction of Kingsland City Project by ZAF.

They have also petitioned President Lungu to cancel and reserve Statutory Instrument No. 62 of 2017 altering the boundaries of Lusaka East Forest Reserve No. 27.

The residents also want President Lungu to order the immediate stop to further additional developments within the boundaries of Local Forest No. 27 Lusaka East as defined in SI No. 161 of 1996.

The petition to President Lungu follows a letter the residents had written to Attorney General Likando Kalaluka last September threatening to sue government for encroaching on a forest reserve where the Zambia Air Force has built staff houses and another developer is turning the land into an affluent suburb.