Working and living conditions for
surveyors in Zambia
by F. B. de Vries, Director of Geosurvey Limited, Ndola, Zambia.
Zambia is a land-locked country, 290.587
square miles in area and in a developing na
tion this means, of course, a great upsurge in
the construction of expensive roads and rail
ways leading to the sea routes. In 1965 ap
proximately six hundred miles of road had
all-weather surfaces, which was totally insuf
ficient for a country completely dependent
on an efficient transport system. All other
roads were of the gravel or dirt-road type.
The main task of the engineering surveyor in
Zambia has therefore been the setting out of
roads, both first-class all weather surface
roads, and the second-class gravel roads.
Distances between towns or even simply shops
can often be over one hundred miles, which
means that surveyors must carry their living
quarters with them in the form of tents or ca
ravans. Fortunately the climate in Zambia is
sympathetic towards the camper at least
for eight months of the year! It means also
that a surveyor cannot simply pack his suit
case with his theodolite, tape and rubber-
boots, but must first make an extensive shop
ping list to cover rations for anything up to
three months, and load this into his one and
a half ton truck or vanette of the four wheel
drive type. Once he leaves town, he knows
that he will normally only be able to buy
sugar, powdered milk, biscuits, cigarettes and
perhaps one or two other items in the local
bush stores and the price in the bush can
often be twice the cost of the same goods in
town. Each surveyor carries with him a num
ber of steel tapes, linen tapes, staffs, ranging
rods, one theodolite, one level, plumbobs,
clinometer, field-glasses, etc. On top of all
this his tent! One tent he carries also for his
chainmen, with shovels, picks, cement, steel-
pins or pipes as much as he needs for
several months. His cooking utensils, paraffin
lamps and drawing tables and chainmen, bring
his total load usually up to approximately
one and a half tons.
A surveyor normally has two chainmen and on
his arrival at his destination will employ a
number of local workmen who have to be
taught in a short time how to keep a tape or
staff, or will alternatively be employed in
cutting down trees and grass where necessary.
226
Setting out reference pegs on the beginning of a
future road curve.
This is where in 1969 the new 22 foot wide road
will be.
