In this two-part series—which has been produced with support from the Louise Behan Grant, an initiative of the World Federation of Science Journalists— RICHARD CHIROMBO analyses the potential strengths and weaknesses of existing scientific approaches to flood management and their impact on reducing flood-related damage in the Shire Valley.
Innovator Nankhumwa, who was born on January 1, 2000 and is an ICT student, said he decided to come up with his innovation because he has always believed that “youths are not leaders of tomorrow; rather, they are leaders of today”.
“This realisation was especially important because it is us, youths, who are being exposed to natural disasters more often than our parents. This means because we are facing problems today, we must be part of the solution now.
“Actually, the floods detector I am using is the third one. I first installed one in Namalaka area, Zomba, last year. It was stolen. We then installed another one in the river; it was stolen again. This is the third one,” Nankhumwa says, pointing at the device.
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Basically, the device, which is fitted to a tree in Likangala River, has sensors, which are connected to a megaphone n alarm that is, itself, connected to a server at the University of Malawi (Unima)’s main campus in Zomba City. When water levels rise, the alarm sounds.
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“We are now working on software that will enable us to alert community members through a short message service (SMS) tool in our quest to protect lives and property so that, in these times of storms and floods, people should not be living in fear,” Nankhumwa says.
By “us”, he is including Shadreck Kamwana, with whom he is working on an application they want to put on Playstore.
When we found him at Unima campus, he was busy observing data that was being produced by the server.
Readings on the display tablet indicated as follows:
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Temperature: 25 degrees Celsius
Humidity: 27.80
Water [levels]: Normal
“This means the situation is, back at Likangala River, normal. There is no imminent threat of floods,” Kamwana, a bachelor of science student at Unima, says.
Kamwana says they have made inroads on the issue of utilising technology to predict the occurrence of floods and other natural phenomena, expressing hope that they expect to have a more vibrant and updated system within the next two years.
As for Nankhumwa, he is always looking forward to creating something big.
He says he is always motivated by a certificate of recognition for his work, which he displays in his house in Chizalo area, Zomba.
It reads: Certificate of Innovation Award: This certificate is proudly presented to Steward Nankhumwa. His overall aptitude for technological innovation has been recognised by organisations seeking to foster and support young talent in Malawi. Therefore, he is being recognised for his ingenuity, his ability to create practical technological solutions, and his potential to contribute to the technological advancement of his community and country. 22 March 2024. Life from the heart in memory of Kyle Hayhoe 2022.’
Shire Valley stakeholders’ disaster mitigation methods
Meanwhile, residents of the Shire Valley districts of Chikwawa and Nsanje, which are synonymous with natural disasters such as storm and cyclone-induced floods, do not have the luxury of flood alarm systems of the nature found in Likangala River.
Chikwawa District Disaster Management Officer Charity Machika says they try their best to alert community members to issues such as the possibility of floods.
“I think the alert systems are working well. If Chikwawa suffers from disasters, it is because of the terrain. Geographically, it is in a low-lying area and, as such, all the rains that fall upland, all the water that comes from other areas, rush to the Shire Valley. We also have the Shire River, which also carries all that water to the Shire Valley, thereby increasing the risk of flooding.
“There are also many rivers. The Shire River itself, which is Lake Malawi’s only outlet, is fed water by rivers in Mwanza District,” she explains.
She emphasises that they are ready to embrace innovation.
“For now, though, in terms of early warning systems, we depend on reports from the Department of Climate Change and Meteorological Services. When we get reports of, say, impending floods, we send warning messages to residents. We are also encouraging the adoption of [the concept of] Anticipatory Humanitarian Action.
“We have also relocated people. We relocated some people from Matsukambiya area in Ngabu to Kamseche, which is under Traditional Authority (TA) Makhuwira,” Machika points out, adding that they have metals that gauge the level of water in flood-prone rivers.
She, however, says because people have to physically check the metal bars placed in rivers, it becomes difficult for officers to check the readings when outdoor weather is adverse.
Her Nsanje District counterpart, Dan Mandala, echoes the sentiments that manual alert systems can be difficult to manage when the weather outside is adverse.
“[Like Chikwawa], Nsanje is located in a lowline area. What happens upland ends up in the Shire River,” Mandala explains.
In terms of scientific methods they are using, he cites river gauges, rain gauges, which they have planted in schools and other facilities, among other tools.
“We also depend on weekly and monthly forecasts from the Department of Climate Change and Citizenship Services. As you know, issues related to weather prediction are a shared responsibility.
“Of course, the tools we are using, notably river gauges, are old systems, such that it becomes difficult to physically check on them, say, in adverse weather conditions. By the time one goes to the place they are stationed to check on something, key indicators could have changed,” he says.
In terms of disaster mitigation methods, officials have relocated some community members from flood-prone areas to safe ones. For instance, some people were transferred from Makhanga area, which is under TA Mlolo, to areas under TA Mbenje.
Meanwhile, aware that they are the ones with most advanced equipment in the weather, climate and risk alert messages issuance system, the Department of Climate Change and Meteorological Services continues to work over time to ensure that Malawians and residents of Malawi are well fed with information.
Meteorologist Alick Chiba, who works in the National Meteorological Centre (NMC) at the department, says they are responsible for producing weather forecasts, issuing advisory alerts, among other services.
“Most weather systems are not visible. We, therefore, need machines to analyse things. We typically deal with models, which are local, regional and global ones. We also have a Flood Avoidance Model, which was developed under Sadc [Southern African Development Community].
“The good thing about local models like Cosmo is that you can, for example, make a three-day precipitation analysis. The local model uses real data while global models depend on satellite data. In other words, using global models to predict local weather is like using predictions to make predictions,” Chiba explains.
He is quick to say challenges they face include power outages, a problem they have addressed by using the solar energy system they received from the United Nations Development Programme sometime back.
The backup system became handy when Cyclone Jude made landfall in Malawi in March this year, when incessant rains culminated in a power outage at the department’s headquarters in Blantyre.
The use of a backup system meant chief meteorologist (communications) Hussein Milanzi continued his key work of ensuring that the Pama satellite data receiving system and the Cosmo model, which was adopted from Germany, were keeping the country updated on weather phenomena.
“We now have state-of-the-art equipment. The Cosmo model, for instance, is a seven-kilometre resolution model that enables us to differentiate weather [patterns] within two points,” Milanzi says.
In that well-conditioned room, he can monitor the WRF [Weather Research Forecast] Model, the Lightning Detection System, among others. In fact, there is a server that services two buoys that are stationed on Lake Malawi.
usually meet and share information
On her part, director for the department, Dr Lucy Mtilatila, says they ensure that—utilising data generated from their 120 automatic weather stations, two buoys on Lake Malawi and eight lightning sensors—they use social media tools such as Facebook, their website—which even has a map room where the user can create real-time maps on it, community radio stations, television stations, among other channels, they give the nation tailormade information when it matters the most.
“And, as a region, we usually meet and share information,” Mtilatila indicates.
She says this enables them to name cyclones and, when they loom, predict their path.
“Basically, cyclones are formed when the temperature in the Indian Ocean, which is the source of cyclones that, of late, have been reaching Malawi, reaches 27 degrees Celsius,” the director points out.
That is why cyclones no longer make landfall in Malawi while disguised as an invisible enemy; their path is clearly marked.
