SEVERAL houses in Lusaka’s Mtendere and Kaliki-liki townships have been submerged in water following heavy rains, prompting occupants to abandon their homes and leave their unquantified household goods damaged.
A check by the Sun found residents, some of whom built their houses in the waterlogged area, draining off the water from their houses.
The sight was a pathetic one as some people’s valuables that could be estimated to worth thousands of Kwacha were seen floating on the water.
Narrating his personal experience, one of the affected residents, Martin Mangemba, aged 49 years of Mtendere House number D 382/E explained that deep into the night and towards the early hours of Tuesday this week, he heard shouts of people within neighborhood, which suggested something was wrong that needed urgent help.
On stepping out of bed, Mr Mangemba narrated, I set my feet in water right in my bedroom that reached my kneel level and was confused only to discover that my beddings and sofas were soaked and floating on water.
He said he struggled to open the door and saw that, the whole community had been submerged in flood.
Surprisingly, according to him, in all of this pathetic drama to evacuate the waters out of rooms, there was electricity supply that lasted hours, it was fear of what might happen that, they had to disengage the electric fuse before electrocution may occur.
Mr Mangemba who is married with 4 children said he had to abandon his house and temporally relocate his family to another area because the house had become a potential hazard especially to kids.
“I have been occupying my house since 2011 but this problem of flood started last year. We have a challenge with water, every time it rains since last year, water get in to our homes destroying foods and household goods.
“As you can see, my sofas, mattress and other beddings were all soaked. Mealie-meal and all the food stuff were completely damaged,” Mr Mangemba complained.
He said it was by God’s grace that his house did not collapse on them when it was raining that particular day.
Mr Mangemba explained that a small bridge project that was started in the area had been abandoned and so the water had to find alternative routes, hence diverted to their homes.
Another resident spoken to, Angela Banda, 37, a mother of 3 of Kaliki-liki township said a lot of people in the area were left stranded as most of them could not even go to work due to the harm done by the water.
She lamented that her property has been damaged, vital documents destroyed as well as other valuables which include food staffs.
Ms Banda said the residents were suffering and their children could not even attend school as a result of the floods.
Both Mr Mangemba and Ms Banda have since appealed for urgent government action in providing a permanent solution to the problem.
