CONTINUED RAINS WORRY LUSAKA RESIDENTS

SOME residential areas in Lusaka are flooded following  Wednesday’s downpour and some residents fear that continued heavy rains could cause destruction to property.

A check by the Daily Mail yesterday revealed that most parts of the city are flooded.

However, there were no reports of houses collapsing or roofs being blown off but huge pools of water were visible in most of the areas.

Among the most affected are Kanyama, Misisi, Chawama, Kuku, Chibolya and Kalikiliki.

Residents are living in fear of cholera and other water-borne diseases due to floods. 

Chawaza Gondwe of Kanyama said his house was filled with water on Wednesday after the heavy downpour. 

Mr Gondwe, a father of six, was overwhelmed by the flooding.

“I have lived here for close to 30 years and there have always been floods but never before has my house been flooded like it happened on Wednesday,” Mr Gondwe said.

The prospect of rains at night is a nightmare as that would entail more suffering, he said.

Mr Gondwe said his pit-latrine was almost submerged.

He appealed to government to find a lasting solution to the problem of floods.

And Yande Chileshe of Misisi said even if government had earlier warned them to relocate to safer areas, she has no means to do so.

Ms Chileshe, a single mother of three who earns a living by selling goat meat at a night spot, said she has no money to rent a house in a more decent area.

“I was so scared yesterday when the rain water entered my house,” she said, pointing to the one-room structure she rents.

But Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit (DMMU) co-ordinator Patrick Kangwa has assured the nation that his office has a team in place to handle any impending disaster.

Mr Kangwa said in an interview that the DMMU has assembled a “crack squad” to deal with any emergency that may arise.

“We have a crack team in place to deal with any disaster that may arise, so there’s no need for people to live in fear,” he said.

Mr Kangwa said drainages are being repaired and that Lusaka City Council, the Zambia National Service and other government wings are doing their best to ensure that no disaster befalls the nation due to floods.

 By STEVEN MVULA 

Zambia Daily Mail