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Patrick Chitumba, Midlands Bureau Chief
GWERU City Council has set up evacuation centres in Mtapa, Mkoba, Senga and Woodlands suburbs to accommodate flood victims.

Floods have been the order of the day in the Midlands capital especially in low lying areas such as Mkoba village 4, 6, 9, Mtapa, Ascot and Mambo since New Year’s day.

Gweru City Council spokesperson Ms Vimbai Chingwaramusee in an interview yesterday said the evacuation centres were aimed at saving residents’ lives.

She said the city has four evacuation centres.

“As you know that we are faced with floods across the city, we have set up evacuation centres where residents can be accommodated and these include Shumba hall in Mambo, Igwe hall in Senga, Mtapa hall in Mtapa, Mkoba 1 hall in Mkoba 1 and Nazarene church in Woodlands suburb,” she said.

Ms Chingwaramusee encouraged residents to value their lives, hence they must move to evacuation centres in case of flooding.

“We encourage residents to be always on the lookout for floods and escape to the evacuation centres in case of floods.

We value our residents and that’s why we have set up these centres working with the Civil Protection Unit,” she said.

Heavy rains that have been pounding Gweru caused flash floods which have destroyed resident’s precast walls, gardens, and infrastructure.

The Midlands Provincial Civil Protection Unit led by the secretary for Midlands Provincial Affairs and Devolution Mr Abiot Maronge, Gweru City Council acting town clerk Mr Vakayi Douglas Chikwekwe and Vungu Rural District Council chief executive officer Mr Alex Magura went around Gweru to check on the damage caused by the flash floods.

Mr Maronge said there was need to address the issue of drainage systems in Gweru to prevent flooding.

He said he was happy that some land developers were putting in drainage systems in their areas to divert water from residents’ homes.

In Woodlands, one of the areas affected by floods, a land developer River Valley Properties (RVP) has deployed earth moving machines to put culverts and rehabilitate roads .

Residents have commended the company for moving in swiftly.

“We are grateful that the land developer is attending to the drainage matter. If we have big, wide drainage systems, the floods will be diverted from our homes and we are happy the land developer is on the ground,” said Mr Maxwell Nyathi.

Government has since challenged local authorities and land developers to ensure that their areas have functional drainage systems and advised residents occupying wetlands to vacate such areas.