By CHRISTINE KUNDA –
EVERY year, Zambia experience flash floods in selected parts of the country during the rainy season.
These floods usually destroy crops, livestock, poultry, buildings and other infrastructure such as bridges, sewerage systems, roadways, and canals.
Floods also frequently damage power transmission and sometimes power generation, thereby resulting in loss of power.
They also cause a rise in epidemics such as Malaria and diarrhoea because of water logging.
Recently, heavy rains left a trail of destruction with many families displaced in Choma’s Mbabala Constituency, Monze’s Bweengwa Constituency and Namwala Constituency of Southern Province.
Maureen Simuyambala, a resident of Mbabala area, says it was an awful day for residents on January 14, 2022 when suddenly the heavy downpour in the night caused havoc on houses and crops.
Ms Simuyambala said Mbabala Bridge was cut off while houses and crops were submerged.
She narrated that residents could not cross to the other side of Mbabala as water had covered large portions of land.
The flash floods had affected many other villages and settlements apart from Mbabala.
Ms Simuyambala explained that most of the residents found themselves standing helpless outside their huts and houses glancing at the scene where water had covered their gardens and maize crops.
“This situation was bad. Rains have been too much this year and following the destruction, floods have caused havoc to our crops and vegetables. We might not have enough food,” she said.
Ms Simuyambala’s life revolved around gardening by growing rape, cabbage, tomatoes and onion.
She said the changes in rainfall patterns really caught them unaware and ill-prepared.
This prompted the Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit (DMMU) and other stakeholders to provide support to flood victims in the area.
The AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) is one of the organisations which came to the aid of victims by donating an assortment of relief aid.
Ms Simuyambala and other flood victims were delighted that AHF, a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), had donated an assortment of relief aid to Mbabala flood victims.
This gesture was in keeping with the AHF’s mandate to also ensure nutritional care for the needy was the organisation’s healthcare obligation.
While in Mbalaba area, AHF donated 318 bags of mealie meal, 400 assorted vegetable seeds sachets that included rape, tomatoes, cabbage and onion as well as 1,700 sanitary towels all valued K86, 800.
AHF Country Programme Director Martin Matabishi said there was need for emergency relief aid for people in Mbabala who were greatly affected by floods recently.
Mr Matabishi said despite the fact the Foundation main core duty was more in the health sector, it felt the responsibility to assist the flood victims with assorted items like mealie-meal and vegetable seeds so that they could plant and reclaim their gardens.
“We felt the responsibility to help the flood victims in Mbabala with mealie meal, assorted vegetable seeds and sanitary towel for girl child,” he said.
Mr Matabishi said this when he and Mbabala Member of Parliament Joseph Munsanje toured some of the affected areas like Simunzele, Halumba, Mbabala, Musanka recently.
He adds “AHF understands that it is vital that for residents in Mbabala to access healthcare which is the main task of the foundation hence the need to ensure that the welfare of the locals is also well thought-out and thus the emergency assistance is needed.”
Mr Matabishi said AHF had been working to control the country’s AIDSepidemic since 2002.
Currently, AHF operates in six districts throughout the country in Chikankata, Monze, Choma, Lusaka, Kitwe and Solwezi where they provide treatment and care in Government and mission supported sites.
Mr Matabishi said AHF donated sanitary towels to ensure that there were no cases of girl-child abstention and school drop outs especially that Mbabala was also experiencing floods.
“AHF has also donated 1,700 sanitary towels worth K19, 200 to a number of schools like Simuzele, Halumba, Musaka among others,” he said.
Mr Matabishi said there a number of cases of girl-child abstention and school drop outs on account of health reasons.
Provision of sanitary pads to the girl-child improved their class attendance and classroom performance leading them to become adequately educated and self-reliant.
“Having menstrual periods should not be an impediment for the girl-child to be educated,” Mr Matabishi said.
Receiving part of the donation, Simuzele Primary and Secondary Secondary School Headteacher Caroline Namakanda commended AHF for supplementing Government’s efforts in the provision of quality health care services to learners.
Ms Namakanda said the issue of sanitary towels was one of the barriers to girls completing their education as girls miss one to four days of school in a month which eventually leads to school the dropout factor.
“Your generous support through the donation of sanitary towels will go a long way to reducing girls’absenteeism from school,”he said.
Since 2007, AHF Zambia has worked in collaboration with Government and community organisations to expand testing and treatment programmes in 13 districts.
Speaking during the tour, Mr Munsanje said some fields and gardens were water-logged while some fields had all crops submerged due to recent floods.
The Mbabala lawmaker said residents were unable to access certain areas due to washed-away bridges following the heavy downpour.
Among the washed-away bridges include Bulebo to Muyanda Bridge, Nefwe Bridge on Macha Chikanta Road, Chaambwe Bridge on Macha to Kabimba area, Hamwaba Bridge connecting Lupata area and Mangunza to Kachenje Bridge.
It is a bare fact that the heavy downpour has caused havoc in Choma’s Mbabala Constituency and other districts.
Clearly, the affected community is in panic mood after floods ruined their houses, maize fields and livestock, among others.
The assistance by AHF will go a long way to supplement Government efforts in support the flood victims in the area.
It is hoped that other organisations will come on board to support vulnerable people in the country.