Heavy rains leave one dead

The incessant rains that have rendered some communities in Nyaminyami including Mola and Mayovhe inaccessible except through boats have left one person dead and damaged 16 homesteads.

With communication cut off, modalities for the transfer of serious health cases from Mayovhe, Mola and Chalala clinics by boat to Kariba District Hospital instead of the nearby Siakobvu Hospital are being worked out.

The area received a staggering 262mm of rain on February 27, 113mm a day earlier, and 63mm on February 28. Rains have persisted in recent days, registering a rainfall average for the week 265,5mm for some areas including Siakobvu.

Engineers from the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development visited the affected areas yesterday amid indications that a contractor would be engaged to temporarily restore connectivity while a long-term solution is being worked out.

There are fears that food distribution for the drought-prone region, where little agricultural activity is undertaken owing to inclement weather conditions and wild animals would be affected.

As of yesterday, the washed away section of the Siakobvu-Bumi Hills road, especially at the notorious Ndepa Escarpment, remained characterised by gullies and debris, including boulders and mud. Ndepa, whether in fair weather or not, is a steep descent which only customised vehicles can tame.

Kariba District assistant district development coordinator, Ms Patience Mubango, said stakeholders including Bumi Hills and Padenga who have boats and ferries, have been engaged to assist in the transfer of serious cases.

"We are still waiting for a response from stakeholders including Bumi Hills and Padenga Holdings as we have requested for assistance during emergencies in clinics to ferry patients to Kariba urban hospital," said Ms Mubango.

"The heavy rains which fell in the district affected 16 homesteads in Chief Mola's area and one human life was lost when a boy drowned while trying to cross a flooded stream."

The district, she said, was working hard to find means to access Mola since food distribution for March had been lined up.

Covid-19 vaccination, which was expected to end today, has been badly affected as most areas in Nyaminyami Rural District Council including Negande, Mola, Chalala and Mayovhe, have been cut off after bridges were washed away and rivers remain flooded.

Sources said the District Development Fund operated ferry could be used to reach the area with supplies.

The Meteorological Services Department  said rains will subside countrywide from Monday to Sunday, raising hope that conditions would allow reconstruction of the damaged areas.

Nyaminyami Rural District Council chief executive Mr Cletus Matingwina said the situation was untenable as they cannot offer assistance to the affected areas.