Chapter 175 Village Site Selection
East African colonies.
Eastern Lake Malawi region.
"Right here, taking advantage of the terrain in the riverbed, we can build a row of dams to allow the water to flow over here. This can not only cut off the river water and ensure that the water is not lost in the dry season, but also allow the excess rainwater in the rainy season to flow away from it." Roald pointed to an undulating area in the riverbed and said to the villagers.
This is an unknown small river in the upper reaches of the Ruvuma River. Although the river is small, it also flows into the Ruvuma River. The terrain on both sides is extremely flat and the land is fertile and suitable for farming.
Starting this year, East African immigrants began to move northward along the Ruvuma River and established strongholds on the north bank of the Ruvuma River.
Filling the gaps between the Lower Coastal Area and the Eastern Lake Malawi Area, East Africa's first riverine settlement belt is slowly taking shape.
Mtwara, a port in southern East Africa, has also welcomed a rare small wave of immigrants as a result of this, with ships docking at Mtwara Port every day.
"Mr. Roald, if we build the village here, we shouldn't encounter flood disasters, right?" Acting village chief Wasim asked Roald.
“I have surveyed the terrain here. According to the map drawn by the East African government, there are no high places in the surrounding area. It is basically plains. If there is heavy rainfall in the rainy season, it will only be evenly distributed throughout the area.
So as long as we do a good job of drainage and build more drainage canals and sewers to divert rainwater from the village to the river during the rainy season, there will be no problem," Roald replied.
"If the village is built near the river bank, it will be easy to develop. But if the river water suddenly rises during the rainy season and the river channel cannot bear so much water during the rainy season, will it flood the surrounding land?" Wasim expressed his concerns.
“I have already considered this, Mr. Wasim. Look, this is the Ruvuma River, and this is the small river. The two meet here, and where we are standing now is northwest of the confluence of the two rivers.
This area is about half a meter higher than the surrounding area, and through my research on the surrounding soil and river channels, I found that even at the most flooded times in history, the river water would never exceed ten meters from the river bank.
Therefore, the biggest concern here is not the problem of too much rain, but the problem of too little rain. After all, there is no harm in having more water for agricultural development.
The reason why I proposed to build an arch dam in the middle of the river is to ensure the water supply here during the dry season.
There are very few people here now, but it’s hard to say what will happen in the future. Water consumption may increase significantly. Of course, I am referring to the population density in Europe.
Moreover, this section of the river just happened to form a highland, and with the help of the riverbed, the project can be completed quickly during the dry season." As a professional, Roald analyzed the pros and cons in detail.
“Well, the project does not seem difficult. After all, this river is really small compared to the Ruvuma River. However, I am afraid that we do not have the extra energy to build this dam recently.
We only have about a hundred people now, and we have to wait until the follow-up personnel arrive and the slaves are allocated before we can start work.
We are now too busy just preparing the houses and developing the surrounding land," said Wasim.
Wasim came from the Austro-Hungarian Empire. He was previously a villager near Ronroda in the Lower Coast. This time, when he immigrated to the Ruvuma River Basin, Wasim, as an old immigrant, led the new immigrants to develop the village.
So Wasim is still just an acting village chief. Before that, Wasim was just an ordinary immigrant in the Ronroda area.
The position of acting village chief was actually an opportunity that Wasim had fought for himself. There is a shortage of educated people in East Africa right now, so they can only pick the best from the worst.
The more active Wasim was selected without much competition because there were not many people who signed up.
Chinese immigrants have always been more stable, so Wasim has nearly 40% fewer competitors, while European immigrants are unwilling to leave Ronroda and develop new areas with a new group of people, so there are very few people who sign up.
After all, the village chief is not a high-ranking official in East Africa and has no power, especially a village chief like Wasim who comes from a wild background.
The village chief has many specific affairs to handle and heavy responsibilities, and he only receives a little more salary than ordinary people every month, so most immigrants are unwilling to compete for the position of village chief in a new area.
Every time a new area is developed, especially in the early stages, it is the most difficult. Not only is there a lack of everything, but the conditions are also relatively harsh.
"Mr. Wasim, don't worry. I have worked in East Africa for some time and I am very clear about the efficiency of work in East Africa. I believe that the East African government will send support soon. Of course, the prerequisite is that we quickly finalize the construction site of the village and report it." Roald said to Wasim.
Roald was a geography student hired at a high salary by the East African colony. He had been working in East Africa for nearly two years, which meant he arrived in East Africa half a year earlier than Wasim.
However, such talents cannot be retained in East Africa at present. Just like those who are retained with high salaries, they all come to East Africa to make a quick buck.
Especially a cultured person like Roald is definitely a talent in this era. The reason he came to East Africa was that he was too young when he just graduated and could not resist the temptation of society, so he went to the casino and got into debt.
In fact, Roald's family conditions were not bad and he didn't owe much money, but Roald's father was quite strict. Roald was afraid that if his father knew that he was gambling, he would probably break his legs.
He hid it from his family temporarily to see if he could find a job to pay off his gambling debts. As a result, he met a recruiter from the Heixinggen Group.
The East African colony happily helped him pay off his gambling debts on the condition that he work in East Africa. It also offered him triple salary and allowed him to travel home once a year on a Hechingen ship.
Young Roald thought there was such a good thing, and since he was a young man who was not afraid of anything, he boarded the pirate ship.
After working in East Africa, Roald found that the conditions in East Africa were good and the promises were indeed fulfilled.
But this hellhole is too miserable! Moreover, Roald's job is to explore various places in East Africa and help East Africa find suitable places to live. Roald basically goes to sparsely populated places and bids farewell to the colorful world. This is quite similar to Ernst's previous life.
However, Roald did develop some feelings for this job, for example, his gambling addiction was completely cured here.
Moreover, Roald has been traveling around East Africa for many years and has truly seen the geographical landscapes that were described by his teachers and recorded in textbooks. This has enabled him to truly apply what he has learned. If he returns to Europe in the future, there will be no problem for him to teach at a university with the help of his father.
In short, Roald feels that he has grown in East Africa. Of course, once his contract expires in the future, Roald still plans to return to Europe to develop.
(End of this chapter)
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