More flooding in ZA, Dodma warns
Department of Disaster Management Affairs (Dodma) has warned of more flooding in Zomba District this January followed by a dry spell at the end of February.
Zomba assistant disaster risk management affairs officer Florence Ntepa said the forecast has been confirmed by the Department of Climate Change and Meteorological Services (DCCMS) .
“Following the news from the meteorological department, we have issued warnings to communities to help minimise loss of life and property should it flood again this year,” she said.
Ntepa has since advised government and other stakeholders to be on alert to counter some of the challenges faced during last year’s floods like untimely financing and late response.
She also emphasised the importance of coordination between government and other stakeholders, saying one of the main challenges during last year’s flooding was lack of coordination between government and stakeholders.
Ntepa further appealed to citizens to have disaster resilient minds and for stakeholders to aim at improving the community resilience and empowerment to reduce risks.
Zomba has many disaster prone areas such as Mwambo and Chingale. Whereas Mbizi, Chikowi, Ngwelero and Chingale are affected by the dry spell with cholera in areas around Lake Chirwa and strong winds across the district.
During last year’s flooding, 21 000 households were affected in the district.
DCCMS director Jolamu Nkhkwe said on Wednesday said the country should expect widespread rains associated with downpours persisting mainly in the Central and Northern regions. n
