Floods cut off tourist haven
2006-03-08 22:23
Blantyre - Flash floods in Malawi's prime tourist district have left 6 000 people homeless, destroyed crops, and cut off the southern Mangochi region, an official said on Wednesday.
"These are the worst floods in 28 years to hit the Mangochi district.
"Houses have collapsed, villages have been submerged in water, while maize, livestock crops and several bridges have been swept away," Harry Chipeni, director of planning and development at the Mangochi district assembly told AFP by telephone.
"The homeless have invaded schools, mosques and churches to seek shelter," he said, adding that primary schools have been closed to shelter the flood victims.
Chipeni said there was no access to Monkey Bay, the country's best known resort at the foot of Lake Malawi, after a bridge was washed away and 10km of tarmac were eroded.
He said three villages had been affected by the floods with Mponda village, where up to 5 000 people were displaced, the most seriously hit.
Crops
The rest of the estimated 1 000 people rendered homelesss are from Tchowe and Chimwala where "green tender maize crop have been swept away".
Agricultural experts were yet to assess the crop damage, Chipeni said.
Meteorological experts said the rainfall measured 158 mm.
He said some affected villages were rendered impassable by the floods.
Malawi, which annually needs two million tones of food to feed its 12 million people, is expecting a bumper crop this year after up to five million people faced hunger after the worst drought in over a decade.