Floods cut off eastern Zambezi villages, force cattle to swim across deep Kasaya channel

THE constituency former councillor for Kabbe says this year’s floods caught the people of the eastern Zambezi region by surprise.

Raphael Mbala on Saturday said most villages in the floodplains of the Kabbe South constituency can only be accessed with canoes and boats.

He said the floodwater is threatening the floodplains as livestock such as cattle are without grazing areas, and by Friday afternoon, most communities, especially in the Ikaba area, have started moving their animals to higher ground for safety.

Mbala said the Zambezi River’s Kasaya channel is “so deep”.

“This year’s flooding caught us by surprise. Our cattle never crossed the Kasaya channel at this deeper level of the water before,” he said.

As of Saturday, NamWater data indicated that the Zambezi River’s water level stood at 4.30m, a substantial increase of 0.29m in depth in just three days.

According to Mbala, floodwaters are also infested with dangerous creatures that are deadly to both humans and livestock.

“Fortunately, there was no crocodile or hippopotamus attack. So we lost no animals yesterday. No calf was put in the boat or canoes. They proved to be the best swimmers and are now safe at Luhonono,” he said.

He said his temporary stay at Luhonono together with that of other community members will depend on the magnitude of the floodwater.

If it moves quickly to Luhonono, they will again be forced to evacuate further and seek another temporal shelter at Malindi village, he said.

Prominent floodprone villages such as Namiyundu, Nankuntwe, Muzii and Mpukano have been confirmed to be cut off by road.