Fresh floods alert

GOVERNMENT yesterday raised a fresh floods alert, as the country continued to receive heavy downpours, which claimed one life, destroyed various infrastructure, including homes and bridges, and left dozens of people marooned in Masvingo, Midlands and Matabeleland North and South provinces.

Local Government minister Saviour Kasukuwere said one person was killed by a landslide in Bikita yesterday due to the wet spell.

He said the Civil Protection Unit had managed to airlift 33 people in Masvingo and Kwekwe, while four classroom blocks at Chipfiko School in Mutoko had their roofs blown off by a heavy storm.

"A number of communities have been marooned and more are likely to be marooned, as the rainfall is expected to be sustained for the rest of the season," Kasukuwere said.

"A combination of flooded rivers and damaged bridges has constrained access to services for some communities, particularly parts of Insiza, Mberengwa and Gwanda. Plans are afoot to airlift supplies for severely affected parts of the country. A bridge on the Nkankezi River on the Mbalabala-Zvishavane Road has been washed away by a deluge of water from the failed dam," he said, urging boarding schools, hospitals and clinics to maintain extra stocks of supplies, in case they were cut off by floods.