Floods wreak havoc in Zambia
2008-01-22 15:40
Mazabuka - Jerry Mweemba, an 82-year-old peasant farmer, stoically chews on his pipe as he surveys the line of grass-thatched huts waist-high in brown rainwater in Zambia's impoverished Mazabuka region.
"Initially, we thought it was the usual rains until we realised that water was entering into our homes," says Mweemba from under the shade of a large acacia tree in the flood-ravaged village of Mbiya.
Mweembe added: "This year's rains have been too much. Our houses and crops have been destroyed. I have lost all my belongings."
Along with dozens of his fellow villagers made homeless by the devastating floods in the south of the country, Mweeba was now living under the canvas of tents provided by the Zambia Red Cross Society.
Flooding leaves nine dead
About 1.5 million Zambians were estimated to be affected by the floods and the government said it needed $13m to finance a contingency plan to help the victims.
Widespread flooding in neighbouring Mozambique and Zimbabwe had also left at least nine people dead and many thousands more homeless.
During a tour of the affected areas last week, Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa called for international aid to help ease the suffering of his people from what he described as a national disaster.
"We are living like refugees in our own country," said 31-year-old Maria Choongo, a mother of two found preparing a meal at a makeshift kitchen at Mbiya Basic School, where the tents had been erected for the homeless.
Roads in the area became impassable after a nearby river burst its banks and a pool of water swept through parts of the lower plains, destroying property.
3 000+ people displaced
Herds of cattle had also been evacuated to higher ground in scenes that had been repeated across large swathes of the southern African country.
"We have more than 3 000 people who have been displaced in Mazabuka alone," said Misheck Chiinda, a district commissioner in the area.
The authorities said the $13m contingency plan would help bring immediate relief to the flood victim as well as prevent the danger of disease breaking out.
"The money will mainly be used to buy relief food, blankets, tents, mosquito nets and chlorine to treat drinking water," said Austin Sichinga, a permanent secretary in-charge of disaster management.
Indications were that the situation would soon worsen especially in the western parts of the country because water levels in neighbouring countries were rising and might start overflowing into Zambia, said Sichinga.
Despite the damage caused to property, most Zambians living in areas near fertile river banks had not heeded early warnings to relocate to higher grounds.
According to Songowayo Zyambo, executive director of the Zambia National Farmers Union, the heavy rains are likely going to affect the crop production for the 2008/9 farming seasons.