Government says it is ready to deal with floods and droughts that may affect the country during 2008/2009 rain season.
Deputy Minister in the Office of the Vice President Gastone Sichilima said government has developed a contingency plan that is aimed at outlining the measures that need to be undertaken before, during and after the floods or drought.
Speaking at a media briefing in Lusaka today, Mr. Sichilima disclosed that the plan provides a framework which will show the preparedness, response and early recovery that are being undertaken.
Mr. Sichilima noted that food and non-food items have been stocked to enhance timely interventions to the affected areas.
He assured that government will be able to assist any section that gets affected by the floods or droughts adding that there is need for such a section to have an established objective assessment.
He added that his office has put in place interventions following reports of general food insecurity in the country.
The Deputy Minister also noted that the number of districts that needs relief food has increased from 21 to 29.
Mr. Sichilima said currently government is supplying a total number of about 10 thousand Metric Tonnes (MT) of relief food in 21 districts adding that there is an addition of about 5 thousand MT to cater for the other 8 districts.
He pointed out that Food Reserve Agency will offload maize on the open markets in districts that need market interventions.
He further cautioned that government’s relief food programme is only meant for vulnerable communities that are identified through technical assessments.
He said the 80 percent of every tonnage of relief food sent to any district is meant to be food for work, where as the 20 percent is meant to be given freely to old members, child headed households and the terminally ill in communities.
Meanwhile, Mr. Sichilima said government through the Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit (DMMU) has continued to monitor the situation in areas that where hit by floods last rain season.
He thanked the opposition Members of Parliament (MP) for taking a lead in carrying out the necessary preparedness measures for Lusaka floods response activities.
He further appealed to cooperating partners to supplement government’s efforts in mitigating the impact of floods and droughts in the country.
ZANIS/MM/MC/AM/ENDS
l-)
Also:d/
More good news, kanshi ba LT have you been withholding all the good news for the night? The whole day I kept reading bad news…
Ba Chale LT will block ka l-) nakena
Oh1 Thanks be to God finally our prayers have been answered At least RB and His colleague have managed to put ka smile on us. :-j:-j:-j:-j
OK.
Ba Maureen tekanyeni ka? Mailo mwali untuka sana, ati njikala ku Shang’ombo. You owe me an apology.
Ba Maureen
Please spare me,mwalanfuna imbafu :-j:-j:-j
l-) aka ka Muntu kaletila: nambala wanu! Weluuuu!!!!
:d
3RqU
Imwe ni zee :)>-:)>-
Nine Chale
Mwafakapula naimwe nomba ba LT baishiba ati kalepilibula number 1
Matworld :)>- good to know our government is prepared. I hope it doesn`t turn out to be an excuse if we do not have a disaster
:d
#7 bushe pa Shangombo lusele. ok sorry Daddy 😡 Meanwhile naufakapula!
Nine Chale ok l-)
Ala ama floods has now become a ‘Tourist attraction’
Ala ama floods have now become a ‘Tourist attraction’
Wenye, since when, floods, what is GRZ talking about
i know that villager aba tonga to be exact do not prefer to move to higher ground because thats where their ancestors were burried. thats why when it rains even panono they get affected. we had a sensitization tour there but we just came back notuswende !
#18, you mean there was no condom. or you were so charged that you wanted anything thick and hard to ….okey, touch!
Thats good now let them be prepared for the farming season every year!
yachita over iyo mwana. LT will be mad o. nayenda nakuyenda unganisilizile marketi !
#19, Ba Maureen is a guy so its him who went after the village girls…that was irresponsible behavior. These are the guys who just waste govt or donor money when they are on field trips. Instead of working, he was busy admiring the village girls. We know Tongas are beautiful but be responsible iwe Maureen….
# 21, Cheers babz, I am also out now.Later
Goodnight Engine Bbuloko.
#22 Engine Buloko, Aaaaaaah, you are probably right. He is a “he”. Che kaswende pa matako!Go
#25, I have interacted with ladies a lot…I can tell from the coments who is most likely female or male. Ba maureen’s comments are musculine, they are not feminine. But pa States, anything is possible maybe avala kasikiyo..
Engine Bbuloko, na yenda mwana naine so apa. 2moro.Cheers man. mpumune ko!
Natural disaster has never been a problem fe people inna Zed, so I and I should be grateful to Jah. Geographically, Africa inland is de safest climate in Jah creation…
no earthquakes
no volcano
no hurricanes
no Tsunami
minimal floods
So de only ting we ha fe concentrate pon now is farming. Seen?
Thats encouraging news. The only problem is that the govt likes telling lies. So iyi ni boza, muzaonako. Even using eloquent english kwati alewamya. 😕
Pa Zed, Good rains equals floods. Average rains equals drought.
Government is prepared,how? because the same government have failed to tackle the issue of hunger in most of the districts where hunger has been reported. if our GRZ have failed to provide relief food to the affected areas how are they going to deal with floods? why are they rushing to floods leaving out the issue at hand.sort out hunger first, befoer talking about unforseen calamities. [-x8-}8-}:-j:)]
i mean before, iam very upset with our GRZ,hence the error in typing. 🙂
My fellow Zambians(Especially youths) its time we looked at what we can do to help our beloved country before these old crooks called politicians ruin Zambia completely. What is this minister talking about if they cant even control stagnant water which is all over lusaka?I just came back from home. Its very shameful. People have nice houses but you have to wear gumboats to reach their homes.”Ati ni pa Zed fikaisova”. There is nothing like that. Its either we do something or we are doomed for ever!
Gaston Sichilima is just lying. Since when did Govt ever got ready to deal with anything? The DMMU knows that every year it will rain and they know that when it rains it floods and that when it floods people get displaced and when they get displaced they need shelter and food and medical supplies. When they get shelter and food and medical supplies ….
But it rains and floods and people are displaced and the press picks up the news and broadcasts it then Gaston comes to say that govt is prepared to deal with it. D*m*!!
#34
Absolutly true. wabufi sana sichilima. Readiness does not even need press statements. after all we have had floods every year like you have said. These chaps have nothing to say, let alone do. Never in the history of this great nation have we seen ministers having a honeymoon at the expense of citizens such as this lot!