Gokwe a town in the Midlands Province of Zimbabwe has been hit by flash floods following heavy rains which have been pounding the area in recent days.
Low lying areas, according to Gokwe Town Council Chairperson Never Gwanzura, have been the worst affected.
The situation has seen masses of water sipping into homes.
“We have experienced flash floods from the heavy rains which have been pounding Gokwe in recent days.
“We have seen water entering people’s homes. The situation has been worsened with some areas which have bad terrain and some slopes.
“Areas most affected include Green Valley, Sesame phase 1 and Nyaradza stands,” he said.
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Gwanzura said council was going to take blame on poor town layout by the local authority for causing flooding in residential areas.
“Nyaradza in terms of geography was poorly designed. That was poor town planning as the planner did not construct some soak-aways and good drainage system. This then forces heavy rains like in this instance to flood people’s homes,” he said.
Gwanzura however said there was still room for improvement.
“Gokwe Town was inherited from Gokwe rural. So, the designs need more improvements.
“There is also a serious need for improvement in terms of road Infrastructure, a process which is not only capital intensive but also labour intensive.
“Our engineering department is currently working on the modalities to improve the situation,” he said.
