President Rupiah Banda on Tuesday toured four flooded Lusaka townships and said the Government has this year allocated K11 billion to counter the floods. The president visited the 107 relocated families at the Independence Stadium and assured that a decision would be made on how the allocated money would be used to alleviate the problem.
In Chawama Township, the president who disembarked from his car to greet a group of residents, said he sympathised with them assuring them the Government would look for money to ensure that floods did not affect the people in years to come.
“The K11 billion is still there and we need to think of what to do whether to drain the water or move some people who were affected more,” he said.
He said although floods had not been declared a disaster, the Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit (DMMU), the Zambia Red Cross and other ministries were all involved in assisting the affected families.
Mr Banda urged the business community, the Church and the public to assist the affected families at the Independence Stadium because some of them may not have food at the time of going back to their respective townships.
The president said he had gone to the townships to check on the extent of the floods and to find out what could be done to avoid the situation in future.
He commended the office of the District Commissioner, the Zambia Army, the DMMU and the Ministry of Sport, Youth and Child Development for their involvement.
The president also challenged Patriotic Front leader Michael Sata and his United Party for National Development counterpart Hakainde Hichilema to offer suggestions on how the flood situation could be handled instead of just criticising.
He said there was need to work together to find solution adding that it was cheap for the opposition to just criticise.
And some families at the Independence Stadium complained to the president they had been given up to July 1 to go back to their townships which they thought was not long enough.
But the president told them that there was no way they could be made to go back if water had not dried up and a decision would be made at the right time depending on the situation.
The president also visited Chawama, Kanyama, Misisi and Chibolya townships.
[Times of Zambia]