Torrential rains have drowned Zambia's hopes of a fourth consecutive bumper maize harvest and there is still no sign that the rain will ease off as the country comes to grips with the extent of the damage.
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Heavy downpours that began in the last week of November 2007 have swamped large areas along the banks the swollen Magoye River, washing away infrastructure and flooding many hectares of agricultural land. Southern Province was hardest hit with 6 people killed and thousands fleeing from their flooded homes.
"These rains have really brought misery on us; we have been reduced to beggars. All our fields are completely washed away, while others are still submerged, and we have no other means of earning a living apart from farming," said Robson Taulu from the flooded town of Sinazongwe.
People in flooded communities say the losses are massive. Initial assessments in 6 districts of Southern Province by the Zambia Vulnerability Assessment Committee (ZVAC), estimated that the crop losses of maize, millet and sorghum would range between 40 percent and 50 percent.
Chief Mwanachingwala, a traditional leader in Mazabuka, a town in southern Zambia, commented, "My people are only waiting helplessly for handouts from the government and aid agencies. Many goats, chickens, pigs and other livestock have disappeared and we have no information on where they could be just now. We don't know what will happen to us ... if the rains continue."
A year ago Zambia experienced widespread flooding in many of the same areas but still managed to produce a surplus of 250,000 tonnes of maize above its annual consumption of 1.2 million tonnes. Much of that surplus came from the productive central region, which was not spared this year.
"There is no doubt that our crop harvest will be affected. Some farmers, including large-scale farmers, have had their crops extensively damaged," said Guy Robinson, president of the Zambia National Farmers Union. "Our prayer is that the rains should subside as soon as possible."
Concern is growing that flooding could worsen in the coming weeks: precipitation forecasts by the National Centre for Environmental Predictions indicate increased rainfall in the southern parts of the country in the next 10 days.
IRIN