There has been heavy floods across the country in due to the heavy rains the country is experiencing. More than 500 houses have collapsed in Monze district leaving many families homeless with property worth millions destroyed due to heavy rains.
According to Monze district disaster management committee, the most affected areas include Zambia compound, Mathews compound, Manungu, Nakansangwe, Bweengwa, Kanundwe and Moonzwe.
The committee said in a meeting held at the district administration in Monze today that most of the roads in the affected areas have become impassable and a good number of bridges have been washed away.
The committee has since gone flat out to rescue the affected people with help from other stakeholders and government officers.
Committee Chairperson Joyce Nondo who is also, Monze District Commissioner, has also called for concerted efforts from all members of the committee and well wishers to come over and help rescue the affected families.
In Serenje, heavy rains have left a trail of destruction with several buildings collapsing and roof tops of many houses blown off.
Business buildings along Ng’answa road in Serenje boma, had roofs blown off during a heavy down pour on Saturday afternoon which only lasted a few minutes.
The laboratory at the out patient department (OPD) at Serenje hospital, John Musonda shop, Program Urban Self Help (PUSH) storage shed and another building belonging to Mapontela had their roofs blown off.
In the PUSH shed, about 50 by 50kg bags of maize were soaked while in John Musonda shop, fertilizer bags were also soaked.
A source from PUSH who refused to be named told ZANIS that the roof was immediately after rains repaired after a carpenter was hired to do the job.
At the laboratory, Serenje hospital acting administrator, Raymond Mukupa expressed disappointment that the roof that was put up recently, was blown off.
In Zambia compound several houses collapsed sending fears to residents that if the rains continued, more houses would collapse.
Continuous rains in Serenje, have caused havoc destroying some roads and people also fear that bridges would be washed away making it difficult for people to use the roads.
Farmers have also expressed worry that if the rains continued at the rate they were falling, crops would be badly affected due to leaching.
A heavy storm hit Luangwa District in Eastern Province over the weekend blowing off roofs from several houses and damaging portions of the Luangwa D145 main road.
An on the spot check by ZANIS in the Boma township found several houses with their roofs blown off.
Five houses in the Township and several mad structures in the villages were destroyed when the storm hit the District on Friday night.
Heavy rains characterised by storms have been the order of the Day in the District creating panic and fear amongst residents who have had their structures destroyed.
Meanwhile, District Authorities in Luangwa have appealed to the Roads Development Agency (RDA) to quickly to go to the area and repair the bad portions of the District main Road, which connect the area to the rest of the country.
Acting Luangwa District Commissioner, Capt. Stanislaus Kalunga who led a team of the District Disaster Management Committee members to inspect the D145 main road expressed worry at the bad state of the road.
The Team found that some portions of the road have been washed away exposing the culverts creating risks for motorists especially heavy vehicles.
Capt. Kalunga and his team appealed to RDA to quickly consider repairing the bad parts on the road adding that if left unattended to this will result in the district being cut off from the rest of the country.
He observed that the looming floods will be the worst experienced in the district as the continuous rains have already flooded some parts of the area.
The District has in the past two weeks been experiencing heavy rains characterised by storm destroying a number of infrastructure and the environment.
Senior Chief Shakumbila of the Sala ethnic group in Mumbwa District has said his chiefdom is threatened with floods due to the heavy rains being experienced in the area.
Senior Chief Shakumbila told ZANIS today that Kapyanga, Haaundu and Mukulaikwa areas had experienced heightened water levels resulting from the heavy down pour.
He expressed fears that the situation could get worse in the next few weeks, and that so far the high water levels had affected residents living in the low lands by destabilizing farming activities as well as destroying some houses.
The traditional leader however said he expected a bumper harvest in the high terrain areas of his chiefdom because the areas were not in danger from the threat of floods.
In a related interview, Kapyanga ward councilor Sebastian Mainza confirmed that the December rainfall pattern had left higher water levels than expected.
Mr. Mainza said that residents had cause for concern because much heavier rains were expected over the next two months, and that disease outbreaks, disruption of farming and collapse of houses could characterize the early months of 2008.
Floods caused by heavy rains have destroyed about 100 houses in Sinazongwe District.
The floods have also destroyed people’s fields and have cut off the district from the rest of the country.
These are some of the effects of climate change affecting Zambia. It was disappointing to see media reports recently quoting a Senior officer from the meteoriological department indicating that Zambia will not be affected by Climate Change. If this officer does not know, these are the effects of climate change directly affecting Zambia. Lets all do something about climate change and the time is now.