Floods displace 50 households in Salima

Floods caused by prolonged rains on Wednesday night displaced about 50 households in Salima and forced business owners to close their shops.

Salima district disaster risk management officer Blessings Kamtema said in an interview that the council was still assessing the impact of the floods.

“As of now, we cannot say anything in terms of the damage as we are still assessing the impact, but what we have seen and gathered is that the water has made some houses and shops inhabitable for the moment and we have also heard reports of some houses being partially damaged,” he said.

Village head Chiphala, real name Mackenzie Msothi, said the water level started to rise in the early hours of Thursday.

“People had to leave their homes early in the morning as the water was rising but fortunately there have been no loss of life despite some property being damaged,” he said.

The heavy rains have come after a prolonged dry spell and some areas of Salima, especially the central part, are expected to experience food shortage due to the dry spell and floods.

According to eyewitness, apart from the heavy downpour, the flooding has been aggravated by poor housing development around the area.

Salima Urban environmental officer Lytton Chinoko said the affected area is not well-planned and has a poor drainage system.

“People have been constructing houses without following advice from planners and as a result, most drainage systems are blocked,” he said.