Zambia: The government of Zambia has donated tents, food stuff, groceries and clothes to the 63 households in Shibuyunji District. The families in question have lost their makeshift houses at Moumba fishing camp in Nakaila ward.
The houses were destroyed in a fire accident in the district. Further, Central Province Minister, Mwabashike Nkulukusa made the donation to the affected families.
The Minister has claimed that the government will assist the affected 135 individuals out of a total population of 365 for a period of three months. Nkulukusa said this would enable the affected families to build structures that are fire resilient .
The Minister has acknowledged that the grass-thatched houses catch fire on a regular basis.
“The tents will also have to be withdrawn, they are not for permanent use. We may need to send them elsewhere where we record such calamities,” he said.
He advised authorities appealing to government to construct a canal connecting villages on the higher land to develop a bankable document detailing the proposal.
Earlier, Mwembeshi Member of Parliament, Jamba Machila, appealed to the Government to establish a canal at the villages for the fishermen at Moumba to relocate and continue with their fishing activities.
Member of the Parliament Machila said the fishermen can leave their families on the higher land each time they want to go fishing on the lower land at Moumba. He also appealed to the government to establish a canal as gutting of houses is a common occurrence in the Kafue flats.
“We record fires nearly every year, we need a permanent solution and the only way to go is by constructing a canal so that our fishermen only come to the lower land for fishing and not to stay here permanently,” he said.
Further, Disaster Management Mitigation Unit (DMMU) Regional Coordinator, Precious Miti, echoed the need for the beneficiaries to surrender the tents after the said period. The government is significantly invested in making sure of the welfare of the members of the community.