The Maravi Post

BLANTYRE--Authorities in Malawi have dispatched marines from the Malawi Defence Force (MDF) in military helicopters to rescue thousands of villagers who are marooned in flooded villages and hills in the southernmost Lower Shire Valley district of Nsanje.

Nsanje District Commissioner Rodney Simwaka told MaraPost Wednesday the district has been receiving heavy rains since mid last week resulting in the rivers Shire, the southern African country's biggest and longest, and Ruo to break their banks and flood several villages.

"About 2, 500 villagers managed to flee to the hills but several thousands are still marooned in dry patches of land in the flooded villages," he said.

Simwaka said most roads and bridges have been washed away by the floods, cutting off over 30 villages. He said the rescue operation by the marines from the MDF started Tuesday.

"It’s a tricky operation, by 2pm today (Wednesday) they have rescued 99 villagers but the operation is still on going," he sad.

Meanwhile, the Department of Climate Change and Metrological Services has blamed Cyclone Funso for the heavy rains and flooding. In a statement, the department said Cyclone Funso - which is in the Mozambican channel - has caused too much rain to fall in Malawi.

The statement said since Funso is moving eastwards there will still be heavy over Malawi for the coming several days.

Nsanje District Commissioner Simwaka said over 5, 000 people, who managed to flee the floods in time, have sought refuge in schools and churches.

He said government was currently distributing relief items including food, plastic toilets and plastic sheeting.

"We are also providing chlorine to purify water since several boreholes were destroyed by the floods and people are drinking unsafe water," he said.

Simwaka nonetheless said apart from injuries there have been no reports of deaths. He, however, said several head of cattle, goats and chicken and several hectares of crop fields have been washed away by the floods.

"The damage is quite extensive," he said.

Although the southern Lower Shire Valley is flood-prone villagers refuse to move to high ground because the valley has alluvial soil that is good for agriculture.
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©2012 The Maravi Post. Reproduction authorised, with usual acknowledgment

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