(TIMES) Floods: A lasting solution should be found

Floods: A lasting solution should be found
By Sylvia Mweetwa

ZAMBIA has not been spared from the effects of climate change as could be seen from the floods recently experienced.

The heavy rains experienced lately have not just caused destruction to property but also caused damage to crops in some parts of the country leaving hundreds of families with no food.

The floods have not just displaced families but also left a number of maize fields completely swept away by the heavy current while other fields have been submerged in water.

The grim realities of flooding recorded in Lusaka’s Chongwe District which also affected Kanyama Township and several other districts are some of the stark reminders, which must force the nation to act quickly.

Since no person can be able to survive without food and nearly all their food source comes from crops and animals raised on farms, the flooding affecting most fields in some parts of the country is of major concern.

A recent visit to what used to be maize fields in Chongwe District found that a number of of crops had been swept away.

Others were submerged in water and most women farmers talked to expressed concern that they have been deprived of their only source of survival.

In Chongwe’s Lwimba Ward, some farmers narrated how their maize fields which were almost ready for harvest were swept away by heavy storms which also left more than 39 houses razed.

Lwimba Camp farmers whose dependence is mainly on agriculture are still traumatised with what they went through during the storm when hail storms in the form of ice fell and which in some instances were as big as five to 10 kg of weight.

Mrs Agnes Banda said the storm instilled fear because she thought it was the end of the world while the destruction of her field has brought sorrow and pain because that is her only source of livelihood.

Speaking in an interview she said it is sad that her crops, which were almost ready for harvest, had been washed away with nothing to show for her hard work but she was quick to acknowledge that she was grateful for the support which she got from the Government following the disaster.

Another female farmer Mrs Mulela explained that following the heavy rains, her field has been submerged in water while part of the field was completely washed away.

Mrs Mulela, who is a widow and a mother of seven, said farming is the only way of survival for her family and that she is sad that her field has been submerged rendering her vulnerable.

“I am still shocked that after all the hard work I have no field to talk about because all my sweat was in vain which means that I have been reduced to a beggar,” she said.

Ms Mulela, who could not hold back her tears, said since she was one of the beneficiaries of the Fertiliser Support Programme (FSP), she feels that she has lost out but she is ready to start from the scratch clearing her field in readiness for planting during the next season.

Other farmers interviewed in Lukoshi said apart from the heavy down pour damaging their fields, a number of buildings were destroyed.

They are also worried that considering the high cost of seeds it would not be easy to start all over again.

Chongwe Member of Parliament (MP) Sylvia Masebo said her office has received disturbing reports on the damage caused to the maize fields and infrastructure among others.

Ms Masebo said a total of 338 farm fields in Lwimba and Lukoshi had been affected and paid tribute to the Vice-President’s Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit (DMMU) for responding to the calamity on time.

She is happy that the DMMU has since provided seed, fertiliser and relief food to victims and their families in the two areas worst hit by the floods.

The MP said she was currently scouting for assistance in form of farming inputs, building materials aimed at assisting the affected families begin rebuilding their lives.

In Lukoshi area, Ms Masebo said one school and teachers’ houses had roofs blown off while the school plantation, which acts as part of the school project towards combating climate change was destroyed.

“It is a well known factor that the two wards are the major contributor to the bumper harvest which Chongwe District normally records but this year I don’t think this will be possible looking at the damage caused to the crops,” she said.

The MP said finding a solution to families affected by floods should not be left to the Government alone as it required the involvement of all.

She pledged continued support to the small-scale farmers who are the major contributors to the national food basket.

Recently, Vice-President, George Kunda assured the people that the Government would strengthen the Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit to ensure such calamities are handled effectively.

The story is the same in Chief Chiawa’s area where several maize fields were submerged in water after flooding in the area with no signs of water levels subsiding.

Kafue MP Bradford Machila called on the farmers who have settled along Luangwa River to consider relocating and conducting their farming activities on the higher grounds.

Government efforts can however be made easier if those Zambians living in such disaster prone areas heed numerous calls for them to relocate to safer zones as observed by Mr Machila.

The loss of cattle and crops in the floods would exacerbate a food shortage and several households are expected to be in need of food relief.

Not many people farm for a living any more, but farming remains the most important occupation in such areas as those hit by floods locally and the world over.

It is also important that the public joins in finding a lasting solution to flooding which has caused havoc on maize fields and infrastructure among others.

It is further hoped that the families that have lost their maize fields are assisted if the country has to record more bumper harvests in the coming seasons.