By Patience Lunda:
The Department of Climate Change and Meteorological Services has cautioned people in lakeshore districts of Karonga, Nkhata Bay and Nkhotakota of a high threat of flash floods in the three districts.
A rainfall forecast by the department indicates that many areas will receive normal to above-normal rainfall this month.
The department has therefore advised the people in the flood prone areas to be on high alert and avoid crossing fast-flowing or flooded waters.
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“The total rainfall amounts are projected to range from 200 to 350 millimetres but some areas may receive less than normal rainfall whilst some areas will be hit by spells lasting about a week,” reads the statement in part.
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Already, heavy rains over the past few days have affected a total of 212 households in Nkhata Bay District.
Nkhata Bay District Council spokesperson, Chisomo Kambandanga, said the households are from areas of Traditional Authorities Fukamalaza, Mkondowe, Khoza, Senior Chief Timbiri and Sub Traditional Authority Mndola.
Kambandanga said the council is raising awareness on the warnings which the Department of Climate Change and Meteorological Services has been issuing on the impending floods.
The council has since asked for assistance from the Department of Disaster Management Affairs (Dodma) and other partners to help the affected households.
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“The district has already started experiencing heavy rains and many houses and property have since been destroyed. We have intensified awareness on the need for people to be cautious during this time,” he said.
Environmentalist Charles Bakolo said there is a need for people in flood prone areas to adhere to the safety information which stakeholders are spreading.
“The councils should also ensure that people are following the land use plans because they are strictly designed to ensure people are residing in safe areas and those along the lake should move upland,” he said.
Districts such as Chitipa, Kasungu and Mangochi have also recorded damage of houses and property due to heavy rains and strong winds.
The recent rains turn around more than a month of dry spell in many parts of the country, which raised fears of yet another season of crop failure, a third in a row.
Currently, over 5 million Malawians, according to government data, are in need of food aid following the El-Nino drought that hit the 2023-24 farming season in Southern Africa.
As of May 2024, over 61 million were declared to be in need of food aid across the region.
Malawi’s 2022-23 farming season suffered the impacts of Cyclone Freddy. After barreling through Mozambique, the cyclone made a landfall in Malawi on March 13, 2023, resulting in three days of incessant rains.
Rivers broke their banks, mudslides descended from mountains in parts of the Southern region sweeping away villages and people and crops suffered.
