People urged to build resilient houses

Nkhotakota District relief and rehabilitation officer Romatchinga Nkhata has urged people in the district to construct resilient houses.

She said this on Monday during the training of village civil protection committees and local artisans on post-disaster recovery initiatives.

Nkhata said training builders was critical in preventing accidents resulting from falling houses during disasters.

She said: “The artisans will acquire skills to rebuild better houses for their clients, which can withstand the pressure of wind and floods.

“It is sad that houses fall during disasters owing to poor workmanship and designs.”

Nkhata said they involved a professional in the construction industry to train the artisans to build better and stronger houses using locally- available materials.

She urged village civil protecting committees to advise communities against constructing houses in flood-prone areas.

One of the artisans, Pangani Jaji, said the training eqipped him with skills on how to construct resilient houses.

“We just constructed houses without considering factors such as place, exposure to strong wind and others,” he said. 

Mwadzama Village Development Committee member Cecelia Chokani said they will encourage communities to plant trees around their houses.

A community member Brian Chafuwa said floods destroyed people’s houses and property this year, making many families homeless.