National Water Resources Authority (NWRA) has expressed dismay that some of the people who were affected by Lake Malawi and Shire River water-induced floods have started relocating to the places that were flooded.
The authority’s chief executive officer (CEO) Dwight Kambuku said water levels in Lake Malawi and the Shire River are projected to be higher this rain season than they were last season, such that there is a likelihood of floods.
“It is, therefore, wrong and unsafe for people to relocate into the same places which flooded last rainy season. We want to warn the people against going back into the same places because they are likely to face similar challenges,” said Kambuku when he and journalists toured sites within Mangochi Township.
Kambuku urged the affected households to find a permanent place to settle, adding that houses that were affected by floods last year are no longer safe for accommodation.
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Currently, over 150 houses are still submerged in Mangochi, where people from 26 households are still staying at a camp following the floods that wreaked havoc last year and early this year.
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The flooding also affected some tourism units, some of which remain closed due to the damage they suffered.
However, Kambuku said there is a possibility that more structures that were affected last rain season would also be flooded this year.
“At the moment, we are releasing one million litres of water every second at Liwonde Barrage to try to empty the lake in readiness for the forthcoming rain season.
“But this is a lot of water to release because it is also affecting other people downstream. My appeal to people up the stream is to move out of the areas that are close to the lake,” he said.
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On his part, Mangochi Municipal Council CEO Ernest Kadzokoya encouraged people to be seeking approval from the council before constructing houses.
‘Most of these people do not obtain or possess plans from our office. This is a big problem in Malawi, where people erect structures without the approval of councils,” Kadzokoya said.
