Sanday Chongo Kabange, AfricaNews reporter in Lusaka, Zambia
The number of people being evacuated to safer and higher grounds in the Zambian capital, Lusaka following heavy flooding has continued to rise.
Several days of continuous rains and severe flooding in some parts of Zambia have forced the evacuation and relocation of hundreds of people while some parts of the country have been completely cut-off from the capital.
According to the Zambia Red Cross Society, the number of families being evacuated to a make-shift temporal shelter at Independence Stadium, north of Lusaka has continued to rise.
The Red Cross says more people that have failed to endure the effects of the floods have signed up for voluntary evacuation and relocation to safer grounds, although some pockets of residences are being experienced in some locations.
Temporal tents and shelters have been erected near the Independence Stadium in Lusaka and residents from high density suburbs of Kanyama, Chibolya, Msisi, Chawama and Mandevu are being voluntarily being relocated to the area.
Red Cross secretary general Charles Mushitu and his spokesperson, James Zulu have confirmed that more people are being relocated to temporal shelters where the humanitarian agency is providing basic sanitary services in conjunction with the Zambian government’s Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit.
Water-borne diseases such as cholera have broke out and malaria cases are on the rise even though deaths have been reported so far.
And Lusaka District commissioner, Christah Kalulu has announced the temporal suspension relocation of flood victims until all hygiene related matters are addressed.
Kalulu said the relocation exercise would be suspended until Thursday this week when all necessary sanitary issues were placed under control, to avoid further outbreaks of disease.
The squeezing up of families in tents has resulted in erratic supplies of basic social services for the already relocated victims.
This season's rains in the southern African states have been blamed on climate change and weather officials in Zambia are yet to admit the anomalies in the country's weather pattern.
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