Rising water levels in Lake Malawi and the Shire River have disrupted lives in Mangochi District, where they have displaced some households.
The affected properties include hospitality industry infrastructure and community members’ houses.
The flooding has culminated in some hospitality industry players suspending operations after water submerged part of their structures.
This is despite that Mangochi has not been receiving heavy rains in the past six days.
When we visited locations in Traditional Authority (TA) Mapila’s area, we found that over half of the houses in Mapila and Mwanyama villages had been submerged.
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Villagers said the water was coming from the nearby Shire River.
When we visited Saitikadzuwa Village, which is near Mpondasi Trading Centre, we found some houses submerged.
One of the affected people, Asiza Jafali from Mwanyama Village, said they started experiencing floods five days ago.
“We just noticed that water levels were increasing. We had no choice but to vacate our houses and search for houses to rent. Some people are still stuck in their houses because they have nowhere to go,” Jafali said.
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As a result, Jafali said a lot of people from Mwanyama Village have lost their household items to the floods, which washed them away.
Another displaced person, Witchard Mayere from Mapila Village, said the flooding has culminated in the collapse of some of the infrastructure at his plot.
“I invested a lot of money in house construction projects but now, all that investment risks going down the drain,” Mayere said.
He alleged that the flooding could be occurring because the authorities have partly closed Kamuzu Barrage in Liwonde, a claim which has quickly been dismissed by the authorities.
TA Mapira has, meanwhile, said most of the affected people from his area need temporary shelter and food as they are searching for a permanent place to relocate to.
“We urge the authorities to quickly come to the rescue of the displaced people,” he said.
But the National Water Resources Authority (NWRA) has, in a statement, said the increase in water levels in Lake Malawi and the Shire River is as a result of the swelling up of some major rivers in the Northern Region.
NWRA warns that flooding will continue in the next few days because the rivers are still flooded with water, which is culminating in the swelling up of the lake.
The authority further urges property developers to consult it before constructing facilities close to water bodies to avoid similar problems in future.
