Pay attention to roads, Masheke tells govt
Pay attention to roads, Masheke tells govtBy Sandra Mulowa in Lusaka and Henry Chibulu in Mazabuka
Sunday January 06, 2008 [03:00]
GOVERNMENT should pay more attention to roads so that people do not suffer during the rainy season, former prime minister in the UNIP government General Malimba Masheke has said. And 21 villages in Itebe ward of Mazabuka have completely been submerged in water following heavy rains being experienced in the district. In an interview yesterday Gen Masheke said it was sad that people continued to suffer and got stuck and cut off from other parts of the country during the rainy season.
Gen Masheke was yesterday among several Lusaka residents of Kasupe area who got stuck after heavy rains destroyed Kasupe road and vehicles could not pass. He was forced to park his vehicle at the destroyed section of the road and walked about 500 metres to the junction.
Several vehicles were parked on either sides of the road leading to Kasupe, in Lusaka West a few kilometres from town centre, as they could not drive through the water and mud on the destroyed section of the road.
Youths from George Compound took advantage of the situation to help push stuck vehicles by charging between K5,000 and K20,000.
Gen Masheke said the situation had been bad for the past two days and people could not travel to town.
“Earlier yesterday I passed with difficulties. In the evening no one was passing,” he said. Gen Masheke said people in the area were farmers and kept animals but could not buy feeds because of the situation.
“Government must give us attention. Every year the situation is the same. We have complained. The area is cut off. There are so many people who can’t go to town, who can’t bring feed from town,” he said.
“I am appealing to the authorities to do something fast. We can’t bring essentials for the families.”
Another resident, Margaret Phiri, wondered what would happen if there was an emergency case in the area.
In Mazabuka, the Floods have also submerged a stretch of 25 Kilometres of the Mukuyu - Itebe road, thereby completely cutting off the area.
District commissioner, Misheck Chiinda, said 1,386 villagers have since been displaced and were now squatting in makeshift structures.
Chiinda explained that the area councillor, Austin Choobo informed him that, he (Choobo)) and traditional rulers declined to accommodate the victims at Itebe Basic School fearing that the classrooms might collapse and kill people.
Chiinda said the government should consider air lifting relief food supplies, tents, blankets and other form of assistance to the affected villagers in Itebe area because of its inaccessibility by either road or water.
He also said there was need for the Ministry of Health to send personnel to the area to provide medical services because of the possibilities of disease outbreaks following the closure of the rural health centre.
And Chooba disclosed that several fishing camps had been swept away by floods forcing fishermen to relocate to higher grounds.
He said the affected fishing camps were Vundula, Kasako, Mbalanganda, Maamba and Chimwaikila.
posted by MrK @ 3:53 AM
1 Comments:
Every time I hear of flooding, I have to wonder - why isn't the government creating flood plains, and all other kinds of rainwater catchment systems and areas, so this water can be stored and used for agriculture? Apparently, such an approach will also safe precious infrastructure as well. And creating infrastructure projects would also do a lot to alleviate unemployment - as it did in the US, in the 1930s.
It is too ironic that one can have both floods and droughts.
The state has to get serious about developing the basic infrastructure of the country.
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