Move to safer areas, Chimulirenji urges those in LL flood prone areas
Vice President Everton Chimulirenji has appealed to residents affected by floods in Lilongwe to relocate for safer places.
Heavy rains have so far, affected 403 households in Lilongwe city translating to about 1519 people according to a latest estimation from the Department of Disaster Management Affairs (Dodma).
“Going by the weather reports it appears there will be more rains hence the need to move to safer places to avoid loss of property and life,” said Chimulirenji when he toured some of the affected areas in areas 50 and 22.
Chimulirenji said it is sad to note that same places are affected almost every year – which makes it imperative to have the people moved to safer places.
DoDma deputy director of disaster and response, Dyce Nkhoma, also asked the residents when he visited Mgona—one of the areas in the city which has been heavily hit by floods to relocate to safer grounds.
He said this was not the first time that Mgona was experiencing floods.
“It was the same last year,” he said, and added that discussions are now underway to ensure that all living in such area move out of the area.
“We are appealing to the media to sensitize the community so that citizens understand the importance of moving,” he said.
He said as a department they are ready to respond to disaster since they are already procuring relief items.
“But we are encouraging those in dangerous areas to move out,” he insisted.
In his remarks Lilongwe City Center Constituency parliamentarian Alfred Jiya commended government for the assistance.
Jiya said its the responsibility of the Lilongwe City Council to ensure that people are not building along the rivers.
Lilongwe Chief Executive Officer John Chome said the council is considering demolishing all structures constructed in undesignated areas.
He said most of the affected households are those that live in areas not approved by the city.
Disaster, in form of flooding, has struck Lilongwe City Center with hundreds of houses grounded, leaving its occupants destitute.
But the situation has been heavily felt in Mgona, Senti, and Area 25.
The rain forecast for the next 10 days shows that the country is going to experience floods in some parts of the country.
Weather expects are saying the rainfall pattern is due to climate change and they have since called on government to intensify messages on disaster risk reduction.
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At the rate we are going you will end up moving the whole city to safer areas, wherever these are.
This is the price we are paying as a country because we have allowed corruption at the ministry of lands, city councils and also at Malawi housing to go on unchecked for so many years.
It is so easy to suck blood out of a stone than for an ordinary Malawian to get allocated a plot by the ministry of lands and as a result people are building their houses in flood prone areas because of a desire to own their own house.
Officials at the ministry of lands, city councils and Malawi housing, sale plots to themselves, their relatives and friends in order to sell them off latter at exorbitant prices to the rich, most of whom are either the usual corrupt politicians or foreigners.
These land syndicates have been going on for years since 1994…..and no govt ever since has been bold enough to stop this barbaric practice at the ministry of lands and at the Malawi housing.
For how long should Malawians suffer in their own country at the hands of corrupt fellow Malawians?
It is time for Malawians to hold the ministry of lands, Malawi housing and city councils to account. We need to have an audit of all housing plots sold by the ministry of lands since 1994 and check the names of the initial buyers. I can guarantee that 95% of all plots since 1994 were sold to officials at the ministry of lands, Malawi housing and their relatives who latter sold those plots to the general public at a huge profit.
It is time these land syndicate are held to account, people are building houses in flood prone areas becoz they are desperate to have a house of their own. For how long should Malawians suffer in their own country when it is so easy for foreigners to get land in Malawi?
It is only in Mzuzu where ordinary Malawians are able to by plots easily from what am hearing.
You are absolutely right Mbonga and I have tried but it is not easy to get rid of corruption in the land sells because the syndicates are so complicated and so powerful that my government…..
Wait until you become president yourself to understand what am saying….. Its easier said than done.
True. They have heartless but they are being paid back.
I don’t dance to DPP stupidity. They’re vile and corrupt. But I agree on this position by VP.
Is that one a uniform for distaster management? Because even Hon Chilima was wearing the same.Ihope he just left it for that idiot Chimulilenji to finish it…..bastardz
It’s sad that because of politics civil servants stopped doing what they are supposed to do. They are frustrated that a common person once he/she becomes a mp and later appointed a minister he becomes rich. And they ask why should I suffer working hard for nothing. The results have been devastating like what we see now where people do what ever they want and government is haunted. Albert Enstein was right – to every action there is reaction. Government officers stop monitoring and fail to reinforce laws that stop people building in marginal lands and desperate citizens looking for land seize the opportunity and encroach in the marginal lands. Nature takes charge and rains destroy peoples’ home. Government is compelled to assist the people, and politicians and civil servants are haunted and start saying people have built in no gone zone areas. The question is: where were you when all this was taking place? You use tippex it comes back to haunt you with disastrous cosquencies.
One way of doing this is to make it illegal to put up structures in such catchment areas. If floods happen in high ground yes that is adisaster. Even the Bible has a parable of where a wise builder and a fool built their houses. Since we will always have fools in our midst a law can go a long way to ensure that floods just find grass and trees while our fools are safe on highland.
Laws are there but the problem is enforcement