By Patience Lunda:
Three people have died and two others were receiving medical attention by press time after being struck by lightning following heavy rains that have been falling in Karonga district since March 25, 2025.
A preliminary report from Karonga District Council has shown that, of the three, one man died after being struck by lightning and two children drowned in Kyungu River.
The rains have since caused flooding of Kyungu, North Rukuru, Wovwe and Songwe rivers, as well as other small streams in the district.
Karonga District Council spokesperson George Mponda said 1,017 houses have been affected, with 161 households residing in three camps set up in the area of Senior Chief Kilupula.
Mponda, however, decried inadequate resources for assessment and verification as well as the threat of increased flooding incidents due to continued heavy rains.
“We have three camps. The initial assessment conducted has recommended that the affected population should be supported with food, kitchen utensils, clothes and shelter support, including tents, plastic sheets, tarpaulins, blankets, mosquito nets and sleeping mats,” he said.
A total of five traditional authorities— Mwakaboko, Kilupula, Kyungu, Mwilang’ombe and Wasambo—have been affected by the heavy rains and flooding.
Department of Disaster Management Affairs (Dodma) spokesperson Chipiliro Khamula acknowledged receipt of the Karonga incident report, saying the department will intervene.
Khamula added that they have also received reports of heavy rains in Salima and Nkhata Bay districts.
“We will wait to hear from the council once they finish their assessments so that we can provide relief items. But so far, we have managed to provide relief assistance to 85 percent of the total number of affected households by heavy rains and flooding in the country,” he said.
According to Dodma, as of March 27, 2025, a total of 41,315 households had been affected by heavy rains and floods, which is approximately 185,918 people, with 39 deaths and 486 injuries.
A weather advisory from the Department of Climate Change and Meteorological Services, released on March 31, 2025, indicates that cloudy conditions will persist with isolated rain and thunderstorms, which will be locally heavy over lakeshore areas.
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