THE most devastating impact torrential rains can leave on any place is a flood.
During the 2014-2015 rainy season, 36 districts in Zambia have been underlined to experience floods in the rainfall patterns availed by the metrological department.
Eastern Province may be the most affected with six districts in the region flood prone, while Lusaka and the Copperbelt provinces may be the least affected with only two districts in each province likely to experience floods.
In Northern Province, five districts may experience floods while this can be said about three districts in Northwestern, five in Western and four Central provinces.
Southern Province is expected to record four flooded districts while Muchinga and Luapula could post four and three respectively.
The last time Zambia experienced heavy flooding due to rains was in 2009, with Western, Northwestern and Southern provinces being the worst hit.
Then, the damage to infrastructure alone totaled more than US$5 million and one of the affected district, Shangombo, was cut off from outside help completely.
The floods affected 20,000 households and destroyed 5,000 homes in the Southern Province alone.
Year in year, measures have been improved to enhance response to floods and after assessing the seasonal forecast from the metrological department, the Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit (DMMU) is on the ground to ensure effective handling the torrents.
DMMU secured about K40 million out to provide prompt response services victims in the flooded areas, while with the help of cooperating partners, K60 million would be secured to ensure that no area was left susceptible by floods.
DMMU also revised the approach to handling floods by strengthening district disaster management committees and satellite communities in flood prone areas.
This will ultimately go a long way in ensuring that the delivery of food and non food items such as tents and medicines to victims in flooded areas is prompt.
It would be important for sectors such as water and sanitation, and health to combine efforts with DMMU, in the enhancement of response to victims in the flooded areas.
If perennial flooding particular in urban areas is to be controlled, the DMMU should collaborate with the local authority to ensure that clogged drainages are cleared to ease the flow of water.
In Lusaka for instance, the 5-year-United States (US) funded project aimed at improving drainages is progressing well and it suffices that the local authority have effective monitoring mechanisms in place to ensure quality of work.
When these works are completed, it is expected that the problem of floods in Lusaka would be a thing of the past as the solution will be long-term.
Government must ensure that works on the projects are properly done, within the stipulated periods of time as access quality water and sanitation is a matter of priority.
There is also need for authorities to implement measures aimed at curbing vandalism of water infrastructure especially in easy to access areas.
It is sad to note that some of the water problems in our residential areas are caused by lack infrastructure resulting from vandalism.
This is why sensitisation campaigns should also be scaled up to educate residents to desist from throwing litter in drainages.
During the rainy season, authorities must see to it that people living in fishing camps near the rivers are relocated because such areas are prone to floods.
The use of social media as a means to communicate flood alerts by DMMU is a welcome move in that those with access will be able to be informed and can inform others of looming torrents in their areas.
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