"Regarding the previous balance, the data point to a mortal victim, it is a seven-year-old child dragged by the water current in Viana, 208 homes have been flooded and 250 families are displaced," read the statement made public after the Civil Protection meeting with the governor of Luanda, Sérgio Luther Rescova Joaquim.
At the meeting, the governor said that "it is not difficult to realize that the mitigation of yesterday's rain effects [Saturday] was due to the work of anticipation, cleaning, re-filing, ditching of ditches, as well as the prohibition of construction in risk zones and in the water lines".
According to Sérgio Joaquim, "as long as the macro drainage problem in Luanda is not dealt with in a comprehensive manner, the arrangements to avoid the worst should remain solutions", reads the text.
"The National Institute of Meteorology (INAMET) forecasts heavy rains for Luanda next week, for this reason the Provincial Government calls on people living in risk zones to be prevented; likewise, garbage should not be deposited in ditches and obstruct existing channels”, the statement added.
On Saturday, the spokesman for the Civil Protection and Fire Service, Faustino Minguês, said the most affected areas were the municipalities of Viana, Cacuaco, Talatona and Belas.
Flooding has been reported in 148 homes as well as on streets, in some cases due to overflow of water retention basins.
