BY DRAXON MALOYA.
The Ministry of Disaster and Management Affairs is requesting an additional K1.8 billion to supplement its current budget so as to deal with problems caused by natural disasters.
The Secretary and Commissioner for the Ministry of Disaster Management, Wilson Moleni said this at Zindi-Kisindile and Masoko Camps on Friday when he visited people who have been affected by floods caused by continuous heavy rains in Karonga District.
Moleni said, initially the department received 1.2 billion kwacha from the treasury which has proven to be insufficient as the rains continue to fall hence an increase in number of accidents emanating from lightening and rainfalls.
“This years allocation is K1.2 billion but that may not be enough, so we returned to the treasury for more support and we engaged development partners. Our budget will be K3 billion in total with what we have already consumed if we got the remaining K1.8 billion and we will be able to deal with the challenges,” Moleni said.
He further disclosed that a total of 40 000 people have been affected countrywide, of which 10 828 are from Karonga, 2 052 people have been displaced and are currently in camps while six people have been reported dead in the district.
Malawi disaster relief
In interview after the donation of assorted relief items, Traditional Authority Karonga appealed to government to consider constructing dykes which can prevent the runoff which he said is continuing to be a perennial problem since colonial era.
“For the past years even before independence people of this area have had floods so government considered constructing a dyke on the eastern side which has resolved the problems, since then there has been no flooding that side, and that is a long term solution which will be permanent as well,” the Chief said.
Some of the relief items that were distributed to all the ten camps in the district include rice, maize flour, beans, salt and tents.
Meanwhile, latest reports indicates that heavy rains have also displaced 400 farming families who are in need of relief assistance at Simphasi village in Mchinji district on Friday night.
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