Some eight Zambians have been killed in the capital Lusaka following continuous rains that have caused serious flooding in the city.

Lusaka District Commissioner (DC) Christa Kalulu confirmed the deaths by drowning when she addressed journalists on the flood situation in the capital on Monday.

Kalulu also said cholera had broken out in the city as a result of the heavy rains, and 14 people were being treated for the deadly outbreak.

Several squatter settlements in the city have been submerged, with several homes destroyed as a result of more than a week of continuous torrential rains, she added.

The capital city is notorious for its poor drainage system which has resulted in waters from heavy stagnating.

The state government has blamed the opposition Patriotic Front (PF) for the floods, charging that the party had failed to managed the city’s drainage system properly.

Lusaka city council is controlled by the opposition party, in addition to holding all parliamentary seats in the capital city.

But the PF has angrily dismissed the allegations, and instead said that government’s failure to release funds to the city council on time despite budgeting for the same, had made it impossible for the council to clear the city’s drain systems.

Kalulu, however, appealed to both the ruling party and the PF not to politicize the issue of the floods but instead to work together to find a lasting solution.

Source African Press Agency

African News from NetNewsPublisher.com

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