1,242 households displaced in Nkhotakota

About 1,242 households within Chia Lagoon in Nkhotakota district have been displaced by flooding water levels from Lake Malawi.

Speaking in an interview with some victims they pointed fingers at the government for deliberately creating the mess.

They said government through the Natural Water Resources Authority (NRWA) of deliberately creating the floods.

They reiterate that authorities are releasing few quantities of water at Liwonde Barrage.

They lemented that the government is not even bothered to send any officials to cheer the affected people.

“We are surprised that DoDMA is not interested with our problem. Our stand is that we want the flow of water at Liwonde Barrage to be released above 15 centimeters and not the current 10 centimeters,” they decried.

But early, Ministry of Water and Sanitation through the Department of Water Resources cautioned against settling and crossing the flooded rivers and streams as water levels are expected to swell up resulting into flooding in the northern part of the Country.

In a statement the department issued, major rivers in the northern part of the country and Lakeshore areas are expected to continue experiencing high water levels between 12th April and 25th April 2024.

The flooding will culminate from the heavy rains and thunderstorms that are being experienced in the Northern and Lakeshore areas.

The statement indicated that for the next six days rivers such as North Rukuru, South Rukuru, Hara, Nyungwe, Wovwe, Songwe, Kyungu, Lufilya, Limphasa, Nkhula, Lipimbi, Dwambazi, Dwangwa, Bua, Luweya, Kajilirwe, KakwewaLinthipe, Lingadzi, Lifidzi, and Nadzipuru are expected to experience high water levels.

“The communities along some of the mentioned rivers are also advised to utilise the Community Based Flood Early Warning Systems (CBFEWS) installed to prevent loss of life caused by floods” read part of the statement.

Currently, two people have died in Chikwawa district due floods that hit Mgabu as a result of heavy rains.