Mon, 06 Mar 2017 10:16:08 +0000
By BENNIE MUNDANDO
ABOUT 50 families in Ngabwe district of Central Province have been left homeless and are facing starvation after their homes were swept away by floods due to a heavy downpour that has characterised the area.
And three wards in Sinazongwe have been cut off from the rest of the district after a bridge on Simaala stream in chief Mweemba’s area was washed away yesterday, leaving people stranded on either sides of the river as there remains no alternative for vehicles to cross over.
Ngabwe district chairperson Thabiso Mizinga told the Daily Nation yesterday that the situation in the area needed urgent attention as people trapped on the other side of Kafue River could not cross to look for food as the only pontoon they were using had stopped working.
Ms. Mizinga said the families which have been left homeless were in urgent need of shelter and food as there were no shops to buy food from on the other side of the river, adding that if no alternative solution was found, people would die of hunger as there was no maize or mealie meal which they could buy.
“About 32 families in chief Ngabwe’s area have been left homeless after their houses collapsed, according to the information I received from the chief himself yesterday (Saturday) while in chief Mukubwe, 10 houses have collapsed but this number is likely to increase because it is still raining.
“Our immediate need is food and shelter. These people are homeless and are in need of tents as an immediate solution. For the people on the other side of the river, the issue is more complicated because crossing over is now a challenge as the pontoon they have been using cannot operate due to a heavy current on the river. Some of them are just risking their lives to cross using canoes,” Ms. Mizinga said.
She appealed to the Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit (DMMU) to urgently find means of helping people in Ngabwe as the situation would worsen if no immediate solution was found.
She also appealed to well-wishers who had the capacity to contribute whatever they could to the affected families.
Meanwhile, there is a similar situation in Sinazongwe where three wards have been cut off from the rest of the district after the bridge on Simaala stream was washed away.
“We have another disaster in my area where a bridge connecting three wards to the rest of the district has been washed away leaving people stranded. No vehicle can cross over and this situation needs an immediate solution. Otherwise, people will die of hunger.
“My immediate appeal is to the Zambia National Service (ZNS) to expedite the mobilisation process and start working on the bridge as soon as possible because that is a disaster,” Mr. Sialubalo said.
