People from disaster prone area of Group Village Head (GVH) Mpomba, Traditional Authority (T/A) Malemia in Nsanje, who had been reluctant to relocate to safer places, have now called on government to have them relocated.
The village has been completely washed away by Tropical Cyclone Freddy (TCF) induced floods but thank goodness they took heed of the early warning messages disseminated prior to the cyclone’s landfall in Malawi.
The communities are currently camping in Kafumbe village, GVH Mthukuso.
Camp Manager, Richard Malunga, said the community is affected by disasters year in, year out.
Malunga said the community has now decided to relocate and make their current village a farming area.
“Our lives have been spared every rainy season. We were hesitant of moving from the area with the hope that the rains will normalise but we have seen it getting worse hence our decision to relocate,” said Malunga.
Commissioner for Disaster Management Affairs, Charles Kalemba has welcomed the idea and said all villages in flood prone areas should emulate the decision.
Kalemba said government is ready to assist councils in the relocation process so that lives and property are saved.
“They have admitted that there is no development taking place in their communities as they are displaced every year hence their request for relocation.
Aerial views show that water levels have not fully subsided in Nsanje and Chikwawa
Nsanje registered 52,000 affected households and currently, 32,000 are in 62 camps set in the district.
In the southern region of Malawi, floods have left 511 people dead and over 500,000 displaced.
Follow us on Twitter:
