6 confirmed dead in Lilongwe floods terror: Malawi VP Chilima visits 202 affected households
Authorities have confirmed that six people have died after being washed away by flood waters along Mchesi Stream ub the capital Lilongwe following rains of terror on Saturday afternoon.
Department of Disaster Management Affairs (Dodma) director for response and recovery Paul Kalilombe said there could be others who are missing and feared dead.
About five church buildings among them Area 22 Assemblies of God, Deeper Life Church in Kawale, African Church and Destiny Church have been affected.
Schools have also been damaged.
Vice president Dr Saulos Chilima visisted the disaster area on Sunday and called for transparency and accountability in identifying and registering affected households in Kaliyeka where 1,000 people have been displaced and 202 households have been affected.
Chilima said those entrusted in registeringand assessing the affected households should discharge their duties with impartiality at all cost.
“We have observed that in times of such disasters some people take advantage to abuse their positions and victimize and mistreat affected and innocent individuals for their personal gains.” the Vice president pointed out.
He warned that those people once are found they would be arrested and government would not tolerate such malpractice to be encouraged when distributing emergency relief.
Chilima said affected household need to receivewhat government has set to provide to them and not some take advantage to give them unrequired amounts of relief items.
“ If the affected household are to receive 50 kg of maize no one should give them 30 kg and the remaining Kgs keep for themselves in order to sale it” he noted.
The Vice President who is also responsible for Department of Disaster management Affairs, (DODMA) spelt the need to encourage residentsto be sanitized on the dangers environment degradation.
He said some of the flooding which is being experienced in Lilongwe is as a result of environment degradation and encroachment of the river banks by residences.
“As you can see the water was over flooded due to heavy downpour but the river had to space to breathe as a results it finds its way through the houses which constructed were close to the river banks and there no way one could escape from such calamities,” Chilima observed.
He pointed out that issues of environmental degradation would be hinted in Nsanje on Wednesday when we would be launching 2017/18 National Disaster Respond Plan for the country.
Government has pledged to made of the provision for the six people that have being killed a result of flooding which include four males and two females and affected areas include Kawale, Mchesi, Chipasula, Kaliyeka, Areas 22 and 24.
Flooding hit the areas around 6:30 pm on Saturday and swept all the houses which were built within the river bank where lives were was lost, houses destroyed and various properties damaged in the process.
The preliminary assessment are indicating that 202 household have been affected and the assessment is still being carried out expressing fears that the number might increase.
Malawi Red Cross Society, Lilongwe City Council and DODMA officials are currently underway assessing the situation on the ground and affected households.
Temporary shelters were being erected in order to help the affected household to avert the still heavy down pour which has hit Lilongwe the past week.
Similar floods are said to have occurred in the same area in 2012 but the magnitude of the damage was minimal as compared to this time around.
Officials from various organizations such Malawi Red Cross Society, Lilongwe City Council and DODMA officials are currently assessing the situation and registering affected households.
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Countrymen, this is really sad and my hope is that, the Good Lord will break through to these people so that they can find alternative means of accommodation. My heart goes to those families that have lost their beloved ones in such a tragic manner. However, let me remind you my reader that this is one of the fruits of the tragic and shambolic manner in which we changed our politics in 1992-1995. The places where the so-called “natural” disasters are taking places are those that were not constructed prior to 1992-1994. It was after Malawi attained multi-party democracy that… Read more »
Too many language and grammar errors in the story; didn’t the author or editor see them? Please Nyasa Times, you are a respected online news source. On the deaths of the six people, the writer could have written at least a little bit about who they are. This show that we value them. Otherwise just talking about the donations and environmental causes gives the impression that the people who have died are not important. Maybe if the tragedy had happened in a location of rich people…?
The problems faced in the affected areas are a result of poor land use and land management by Lilongwe City Council. Where are the land planners? Mavuto owaputa dala awa. Kusomola nkhandwe ali pa mtengo gone uku. Houses constructed in river banks and natural waterways.Driving along Chidzanja road clear shows the non observance of basic natural resources management principles. My prediction is that these problems will continue for un foreseeable future until proper land use and management practices are followed.
Condolence to the victims but those surviving think twice .
I sympathise with the victims. But all these houses were constructed along river banks and this was expected. As a country we’ve been struggling to get people of Nsanje whose houses are in flood prone areas to move upland, with little success.
Now we are watching while people are constructing houses literally in rivers, only to spend so much money giving them relief items. Authorities must nip this practice in the bud. There are laws and by-laws in this country, why are we afraid to enforce them? Someone is sleeping on the job.