Flood victims dissatisfied with response

Nkhata Bay flood victims have expressed dissatisfaction with how stakeholders are treating the aftermath of the floods that left over 3 600 households in need of basic necessities.

The households say they need relief food and shelter following the washing away of their crop fields and falling of their houses.

Speaking at Nkondezi on Tuesday when receiving a donation of 50 blankets and 200 bags of maize flour from the presidential adviser on national unity Symon Vuwa Kaunda, group village head (GVH) Chapumbwa said most of the victims have been sidelined.

“It was this area which was hardly hit, that is why more victims still remain unreached,” he said.

“Well-wishers should, therefore, come and rescue these victims. They lack food and shelter because their crops were washed away and their houses collapsed under the force of the flooding.”

Kaunda said he was shocked by the devastation the flooding Limphasa River caused to people along the river, hence he decided to donate the flour and blankets.

He said: “This is a national catastrophe requiring collective response. There are a number of programmes set aside to help victims of disaster and provision of basic farm inputs for winter cropping is one of them.

“Those badly hit will be prioritised in the decent housing programme called Cement-Malata Subsidy.”

Meanwhile, the district’s agricultural development office is distributing cassava stems and sweet potato vines to mitigate the effects of the disasters in all the district’s extension planning areas.