By Bivan Saluseki
(Kazungula) MORE than 300 flood victims in Kazungula and part of Sesheke have been evacuated from areas flooded along Ngwezi and Zambezi Rivers to Kazungula.
And President Mwanawasa said government would do everything possible to detect calamities like what happened in Kazungula though it was a standard too high for government to achieve. Sesheke district commissioner Frederick Lubasi, who was found at the scene in Kasaya area in Mwandi Constituency bordering Sesheke and Kazungula said 322 people by head count had been evacuated.
By Tuesday, 28 people were evacuated from flooded areas by the Zambia Army to a camp along Kazungula Road near Kasaya. The Zambia Army, ZAF and police are being helped by Zimbabwe defence force which has brought in helicopters to fly victims. During his visit to Kazungula, President Mwanawasa said government would try and detect calamities though it was a big challenge.
"We will do everything possible to early detect calamities of this nature but it's not possible for us to develop as our colleagues in Europe are developed," he said. So far the areas affected in Kazungula include Ngwezi, Mataka and Bombwe.
Most families are opting to make camps by the road while some are opting to remain behind to look after their animals and what remains of their property.
A number of people in Kasaya area in Kazungula have been sleeping by the roadside following the heavy floods that displaced them.
This follows flash floods triggered by heavy rains that burst the banks of the Ngwezi River over the weekend.
Kazungula district commissioner Fred Syasuntwe said the situation was serious and several people had been affected. He said all areas along Ngwezi River to where it joins Zambezi had flooded and most areas were impassable.
A flood victim Jennifer Nyambe said she was awoken by the sound of chickens in the night to find that Ngwezi River had burst its banks.