By Wezzie Gausi:
The Department of Disaster Management Affairs (Dodma) has said it has managed to relocate 65 percent of 5,000 households that were affected by Tropical Cyclone Freddy in Nsanje District.
Dodma spokesperson Chipiliro Khamula told The Daily Times that some of those that have relocated are from the flood-prone area of Makhanga.
“They have relocated to safer places in Traditional Authority Mlolo in Nsanje. This is one way of reducing disaster risks and losses by relocating people to upper and safer places.
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“We envisage to wind up the exercise by the end of this month. To ensure smooth settlement, we have also facilitated the relocation of some social amenities such as schools, erecting temporary structures as we are working on permanent solutions with relevant authorities. We have also drilled boreholes so that communities access potable water,” Khamula said.
Meanwhile, Centre for Human Rights and Rehabilitation Executive Director Michael Kaiyatsa has urged the government to provide social amenities to the people before the rains start.
Recently, Dodma said land compensation claims by some traditional leaders had affected the relocation exercise of people who were affected by Tropical Cyclone Freddy.
In March this year, the country experienced one of the worst tropical cyclones on record, which negatively affected people’s livelihoods and the country’s socioeconomic infrastructure, pushing more people into poverty.
