EUGUNE MUKUYUNGWA –

MORE THAN 50 houses have collapsed in Kawambwa District in Luapula Province after close to 14 hours of heavy rainfall.
The devastating rain occurred between 18:00 hours on Monday to 08:00 hours Tuesday in Katungulu and Musambeshi villages of Chief Munkanta’s area.
Kawambwa District Commissioner, Ivo Mpasa described the situation in the affected areas as very bad
Mr Mpasa, who rushed to the scene, said there were no casualties despite the number of houses that had collapsed
He said many houses were still on the verge of collapse as the water levels in the two villages were still high, adding that most of houses had developed cracks.
He appealed to the Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit (DMMU) in the Office of the Vice President to send tents and relief food to the affected households
He assured the affected villagers to remain calm as intervention was on the way.
Area ward Councillor, Wellington Mwewa said in an interview that Katungulu Village has a population of 2,021 people while Musambeshi Village had close to 1,080 people.
Meanwhile, the Meteorological Department in Kawambwa District has described the downpour which measured 60 Millimeters as moderate rainfall.
Senior meteorological officer, Tresford Sota said that what caused the houses to collapse was the long
duration of the rainfall which led to the villages getting flooded.
Mr Sota also confirmed the timeframe in which the downpour was experienced.