Floods have affected about 300 households in Senior Chief Malemia and Traditional Authority Ngabu in Nsanje District.

Speaking in an interview yesterday, Nsanje District Council relief and rehabilation officer Blessings Kantema said the people are in need of food and shelter.

He said: “About 51 goats and 202 chickens have been washed away during the floods following heavy rainfall on Friday and Saturday.

“We appeal to well-wishers to help them with resources to take them through the rest of the Rainy season.”

However, Kantema blamed the floods on the Nsanje-Marka Road under construction, saying water is being redirected towards people’s settlements.

A house destroyed by floods in Nsanje

But China Railway 20 human resources manager Trevor Tambula, whose company is constructing the road, dismissed Kantema, saying the areas are prone to floods.

Ngabu Area Civil Protection Committee chairperson Christopher Thomu agreed with Kantema on the cause of the flooding.

He asked China Railway 20 to put more culverts on the road to allow water to flow to Shire River.

One of the victims, Stanford White, 56, said he lost his property to floods.

“I appeal to well-wishers to help us with relief food and tents,” he said.

Senior Chief Malemia has since asked his subjects living in flood-prone areas to relocate to higher ground.

The Department of Climate Change and Meteorological Services weather forecast for Mwanza and Thyolo indicates that the two districts are expected to receive more rains, which increases the chances of flooding in Nsanje and Chikwawa districts.

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