Linthipe River red water causes panic among residents

Residents around Mthandizi and Airfield in Dedza were in shock after finding out water in Linthipe River had turned red like blood on Wednesday afternoon.

The people rushed to the river to witness the phenomenon which many thought was blood.

One of the residents, Felesta Masina said: “It was around 2pm when women who went to the river to wash and fetch water noticed that the river had turned red. Nobody knows what happened and we are all scared here.”

Another resident from Mthandizi, Tionge Saizi, said police sent five Criminal Investigation Department officers to the scene to investigate the situation.

Speaking in an interview, group village head Mthandizi said he was away to a funeral when the news about the ‘blood’ reached him.

“My people are frightened and we want to know the cause of the strange phenomenon,” he said.

Dedza Police Station deputy spokesperson Cassim Manda confirmed receiving reports of the incident, but said “when we arrived at the scene, the water was colourless again”.

Dedza district environmental health officer Sydney Paul said water samples were taken on Wednesday while the water was normal and have been taken to Community Health Sciences Unit in Lilongwe for a test. n