he Ministry of Green Economy and Environment has warned of heavy rains and thunderstorms in some parts of the country.
Ministry of Green Economy and Environment Collins Nzovu said the heavy rains are expected to affect parts of the Eastern, Western, Southern, North-western, Copperbelt, Lusaka and Central Provinces.
In a Press Statement made available to ZANIS this evening, the Minister said widespread heavy rainfall has been observed in the country from the 1st of January 2023 against the prediction of normal to above normal rainfall forecasted by the Ministry for the 2022/2023 rain season.
“Since the start of the season, most parts of the country have recorded normal to above normal rainfall. From 1st January 2023, widespread heavy rainfall has been experienced over most parts of the country. This has resulted in saturated soil moisture that has led to flash floods and flooding in some parts of the country,” he said.
Mr Nzovu added that Tropical Storm Cheneso over Mozambique is expected to maintain the Inter Tropical Convergence Zone over the Southern parts of Zambia resulting in widespread heavy rainfall, thunderstorms and strong winds over the named areas.
“In the next 24 to 48 hours, the Tropical Storm over Madagascar named Cheneso will maintain the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) over the southern parts of Zambia. This will result in widespread rainfall coupled with heavy falls, thunderstorms and strong winds especially over Eastern, Western, Southern, North-western, Copperbelt, Lusaka and Central Provinces. This may cause damage to infrastructure such as roads, bridges and buildings including agricultural land” he added.
He has since assured the nation that the ministry will, in collaboration with other stakeholders such as Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit (DMMU), and Water Resource Management Authority (WARMA), continue to update the nation on the anticipated rainfall, flash floods and flooding across the country.