By Perpetua Murungweni
Masvingo City Council Mayor Alec Tabe has said substandard perimeter walls in the commonage were contributing to home flooding after heavy rains that hit Masvingo last week saw several families and business people losing properties.
Tabe said residents in some instances were blocking water pathways with the precast walls that then direct water into their homes.
“Most people experienced flooded houses because of poor erection of perimeter walls which at times close waterways redirecting water into homes. We encourage residents to leave weep holes which direct water into the drainage system.
“Others in the low density suburbs have also experienced flooded houses because they have installed small culverts so the culverts would be flooded redirecting water into their homes. We are we going to engage them so that they widen the culverts,” said Tabe.
One resident from Mucheke A, Lisa Chimombo concurred with Tabe saying the perimeter wall had no holes and advised other to bore holes through the perimeter walls to allow the runoff out of the yard.
“I woke up in a pool of water in the house. The water was directed into the house because where I stay the durawall does not have weep halls that direct water into drainages. The following day one of my neighbors then advised me to bore some holes to allow the water out,” said Chimombo.
Tambudzai Kuvengwegwa also said her house was flooded due to the same challenge of weep holes.
“I came back from work to find my kids in the corner as there was water all over the house, most of my property was submerged in water and some of the electrical appliances are no longer working as they were damaged by water. We were then later advised to poke some holes at the bottom of the precast wall,” said Kuvengegwa.
The November 6 flashfloods also claimed the life of a mentally challenged woman who was swept away by the floods and dumped at Dikwindi Primary school where she was found dead the following day.
It is alleged that the victim was staying alone and on the day of the incident she was said to have visited some of her relatives in Victoria Ranch.
