Some Disasters Malawi has faced over the years

Dumisani Siwinda, 2012

SOCIAL AND POLITICAL RELATED DISASTERS IN MALAWI
Since Malawi gained independence in 1964, the country has been meeting different social and
political disasters. These disasters include transportation accidents that include air crash, road
and boat accidents, fire accidents, and the major one which was war in the neighbouring country,
Moambi!ue.
Such disasters ha"e caused a great loss of li"es and "ast loss of property. #n this chapter,
emphasis will be much on Moambican war which is the major social and political disaster that
affected the country between the years 19$% and 199&.
The Mozambican War
The Moambican war began in 19'', two years just after the end of war of independence from
the (ortuguese. #t was caused by the "iolent opposition of the Moambican )esistant Mo"ement
*)+,-M./ to the ruling 0ront for 1iberation of Moambi!ue *0)1#M./. .ne million people
died in fighting and star"ation. -bout fi"e million people were displaced from their homes either
internally or to the neighbouring and surrounding countries.
The map below shows Moambi!ue and her neighbouring and surrounding countries that hosted
the displaced people during the ci"il war.
Fig. 2: Map of Mozambique with the neighbouring and sounding countries.
Some Disasters Malawi has faced over the years
Dumisani Siwinda, 2012
The Population Displaced to Malawi
#n 19$6 2 19$', the war reached a clima3 such that Malawi alone hosted about &44,444
refugees. These were mainly in the bordering districts of ,sanje, 5hi6wawa, Mwana, Mulanje,
,tcheu, 7eda, Thyolo, ,6hata 8ay, Machinga, Mchinji, Mangochi and some in the city of
1ilongwe. The table and graph below show the number of refugees hosted by each of the districts
between the years 19$6 to 199&.
Table 1: Distribution of Mozambican refugees in Malawi
District 198 198! 1988 1989 199" 1991 199# 199$
Nsan%e &4,444 11%,444 914,99$ 9%9,9$1 9'6,%%6 991,'69 991,%1$ &4',1&'
Chi&'a'a &,444 14,444 9%,$9' 49,1&6 6$,&&6 $',969 $$,1$$ '9,4%4
M()an%e 14,%44 &%,1$4 46,96$ 4',49& %1,'99 %1,4%4 %4,9&$
Man*ochi 4 14,444 96,&99 &4,'44 &$,91$ 44,96% 44,%16 &$,419
Th+o)o 4 4 4 99,444 &4,&4% 44,469 44,4&& 16,99$
M'anza 4 %,%44 94,&9& &%,1&9 4$,6%9 $&,16' 9&,$1' 94,499
Machin*a 4 4 1&,9$% 1','%& 99,$'& 9',&4& 9',49' 4
Ntche( 1&,&44 '',444 1&9,491 1%9,149 164,&'4 1&$,'&9 1&',469 1&9,1'6
De,za 4 1%,444 11&,444 164,141 1'4,%44 1%&,4%9 1%%,&4& 1&$,1&'
Li)on*'e 4 1,&44 94,&9' &1,99$ &%,%'6 &$,499 &$,6&6 96,%6$
Mchin%i 4 4 4,444 9,$%$ 16,%6& 94,9%1 1$,66$ 1$,619
N&hata -a+ 4 4 4 9,99' 9,%&% %,96' 4,46& 9,944
Tota) ".8"" #$$.8"" ".#$" 8##.""$ 9#.!#/ 98#./0# 99".!// 9"/.0!
So(rce1 Malawi :o"ernment, 1999 2 ;,<5)
Fig. 2: Graph showing the trend of number of refugees registered from 1986 to 1993
Some Disasters Malawi has faced over the years
Dumisani Siwinda, 2012
The influ3 started in the year and 19$6 to 1994 when a ma3imum of about 1,444,444 refugees
were registered in the country. -ccording to 7imbiri *199&/, by early 19$$, the influ3 a"eraged
to 94,444 per month. 8y 199&, 19= of the Malawi population was the Moambican refugees.
0ollowing is the graph of number of refugees registered per district in the year 1999, still with a
ma3imum of about 1,444,444 refugees.
Fig. 3: Graph showing districts of Malawi and aerage number of refugees hosted
,sanje reported the highest number of refugees mainly because the district has larger portion that
form the boundary with Moambi!ue and also it shows that side of Moambi!ue was "ery
"olatile. The same is also with 7eda and ,tcheu. .n the other hand ,6hata 8ay regardless
forming a larger international boundary with Moambi!ue, all of it is 1a6e Malawi which was
not easy to cross ma6ing it ha"ing the least number of refugees. The lest of the districts
registered a number of refugees below %4,444.
The Effects of the war on Malawi
-lthough there were se"eral positi"e and negati"e effects of the war on Malawi as a country, the
ad"erse effects were much more than the positi"e effects. -s such in this report, much emphasis
is on the ad"erse effects of the war. These included loss of farm land of Malawian citiens,
0amine, .utbrea6s of different diseases, strain on )esources, 7ecreased ,ational Security and
+n"ironmental 7amage.
Some Disasters Malawi has faced over the years
Dumisani Siwinda, 2012
!oss of farmland of Malawian "itizens and subsequent famine
>ith the coming in of the Moambican refugees, se"eral camps were erected in the country to
cater for these refugees. #n the process some portions of Malawian citiens farmland was used
rendering the citiens with a little or no land at all. 0urthermore, there were se"eral inter?
marriages between the Moambicans see6ing asylum and the nati"e Malawians. Since culturally
once a clan member got married he supposed to recei"e his share of clan land hence there was
further di"ision of land into small plots. -ll these e3erted pressure on farm land which later led
to insufficient food production and subse!uent famine.
#nironment Damage
>ith a drastic increase in population in the country, se"eral settlement shelters were erected and
also an increase in demand of fuel wood. This led to deforestation of Malawi forest reser"es and
some natural forest. #n terms of fuel wood alone it has been estimated that displaced
Moambicans consumed between %4,444 MT and '4,444 MT of fuel wood annually *:.M
1999/. -nd coupled with the fre!uent use of hea"y truc6s that were distributing aid to the
refugee camps, there was a massi"e degradation of roads of which the cost was mainly born by
the Malawi go"ernment.
$train of %esources
There was a massi"e strain of resources in social and public institutions such as schools and
hospitals. #n go"ernment departments, a lot of time was spent on implementing refugee related
programs@ this was accompanied by a cost. -lthough some of those costs were catered by
;,<5), some were born by the Malawi go"ernment. 0or instance on displaced persons for
1994 alone showed a net total additional cost to the Malawi :o"ernment of ;SA9%.1 million
*:.M 1999/. This simply shows a di"ersion of resources that would ha"e been used for other
de"elopment programs.
Disease &utbrea's
#n refugee camps, people were congested and water supply and sanitation was poor. -s such,
these led to outbrea6s of se"eral different diseases such as cholera and measles. Such diseases
spread to the surrounding Malawian settlements. Se"eral li"es were lost and pressure on medical
care and ser"ices was imposed.
Decreased (ational $ecurit) and !oss of !ife
Since the bro6e of Moambican war, se"eral ammunitions ha"e been locally found in Malawi.
This has posed a security threat on Malawi and e"en an increase in the cost of security by the
Malawi go"ernment. This is e"idenced in different occasions of armed robbery were -B?4' guns
were used. This is the commonest gun used during the Moambican ci"il war.
Local and nternational !esponse
7uring and after the war se"eral inter"entions were ta6en by both the Malawi go"ernment and
the international community through the ;,<5). )efugee camps were erected in all the
bordering districts directly affected by the war. )elief food, medical care, shelters and many
more ser"ices were pro"ided in the camps. -lthough the Malawi go"ernment had increase its
budget to cater for these refugees, but some of that of it was repaid bac6 by the ;nited ,ations
Some Disasters Malawi has faced over the years
Dumisani Siwinda, 2012
through the ;,<5). +"en after the refugees were repatriated, different programs and projected
funded by the ;, were initiated in order to mitigate the effects the war had on Malawi. 0or
instance in 7eda, reforestation programs were implemented to replace the depleted forests. #n
19$9C1994, the total e3penditure by the Malawi )oads 7epartment was ;SA4.9 million and
;,<5) had to contribute ;SA 1.9 million.
Trans2ortation Acci,ents
."er the past 44 years, Malawi has been e3periencing different transportation accidents which
include road accidents, air crash accidents and 8oat accidents. -bo"e all, road accidents ha"e
been occurring "ery often and causing more deaths. Dery few boat and air crash accidents ha"e
been registered.
)oad accident is ran6ed on ninth on the fifty major causes of death in the country. -lthough
se"eral inter"entions ha"e been ta6en by the road traffic department, there has not been a
significant decrease in road accidents in the country.
The famous accident spot is 1inthipe & on the main road lin6ing the commercial capital 8lantyre
in the South and 1ilongwe the capital city. #t is about %4 6m south of 1ilongwe. 0or past years
hundreds of people ha"e lost their li"es on this spot, the worst being an accident that claimed 99
li"es on spot that occurred in 9444. This also happened to be the worst road accident in the
history of Malawi.

Fig. ": Memorial tower of the worst accident on !inthipe3
3ire Acci,ents
#n Malawi, there ha"e been also reported cases of infernos. Though not rampant, but still there
ha"e been some loss of li"e and property due to such accidents. Most of such accidents ha"e
been registered on household le"el. .ther most destructi"e fire accidents that ha"e been reported
are the gutting down of mar6ets. These ha"e been occurring almost annually for the past few
years the most recent being the gutting down of ,dirande and Taifa mar6ets in the northern and
Some Disasters Malawi has faced over the years
Dumisani Siwinda, 2012
southern region respecti"ely. #n such accidents property wealth millions of 6wacha ha"e been
lost. <owe"er, in such accident no loss of li"es were registered.
4EALT45 RELATED DISASTERS IN MALAWI
Some cases of disasters that ha"e been reported in the country are directly related to health.
There share in claiming peopleEs li"es and in use of go"ernment resources cannot be o"erloo6ed.
>ell notable health related disasters include food poisoning, measles, cholera and malnutrition.
#n this chapter, these four will be discussed.
3oo, Poisonin*
#n Malawi sporadic cases of 0ood (oisoning occur but there pre"alence is not well 6nown
because they are not well documented. Many food poisoning cases arenFt lin6ed to outbrea6s,
and news reports are not necessarily a clear gauge of their pre"alence. 0ood poisoning is caused
by mainly different chemical to3ins and their spread can either be waterborne or any other.
Sometimes To3ins causing food poisoning are clostridium perfringens which are commonly
found in faecal matter. ;sually, in areas where sanitation is mostly poor ha"e rampant spread of
the to3ins hence cases of food poisoning.
There ha"e been also cases of food poisoning reported during drought and famine where people
tend to consume poisonous wild herbs. .ther cases are household where pesticides and
rodentcides were accidentally consumed by a family members more especially children.
#reas affected and e$tent of effect
#n Malawi 0ood (oisoning occurs almost e"ery year mostly during the rainy season. 8ut se"ere
cases ha"e been reported of 19$6 when it affected a lot of people directly i.e. a lot of food
poisoning related illnesses were reported and also a lot of people who were not treated died of it.
-reas that reported a lot of cases include the following@ Gomba district especially in ,ambesa
Dillage, T- Mwambo and Majawa Dillage, T- Mlumbe almost 11 people died and some
sur"i"ed after recei"ing treatment
%o&ern'ent response to food poisoning cases
,ormally, the first response gi"en by go"ernment when such cases ha"e arise is the pro"ision of
treatment to affected people and ensuring that those who were treated had regained good health.
This is done through the public health centres and hospitals distributed across the country which
are free of charge. 0urthermore, <ealth inspections are usually carried out within the districts of
the country to ensure that the en"ironment is clean and safe. The Malawi 8ureau of Standards
Some Disasters Malawi has faced over the years
Dumisani Siwinda, 2012
ensures that food is produced under hygienic conditions and itEs free from any harmful chemicals
and to3ins..
Cho)era
5holera is one of the outbrea6s which is normally reported during the rainy season in the country
mainly due to poor water and sanitation during this period. 5holera is often spread by eating food
contaminated by germs from human waste. Symptoms of the disease include diarrhea, "omiting and
dehydration. Those who do not ha"e access to a hospital or clinic for rehydration therapy may die.
The recent worst cholera outbrea6 in the country was reported between the years 9446 and 944'.
0rom the 'th of -ugust 9446 to the end of Hune 944', a total of &49 cases of cho)era and 6
deaths had been reported countrywide in 19 districts. These districts were ,6hata 8ay (halombe,
Mangochi, Machinga, ,6hota6ota, ,sanje, Mulanje, 5hi6wawa, ,tcheu, 8ala6a, 8lantyre, and
5hiradulu. -fter a calm situation in March 944', the number of cases of cholera in the country
roc6eted to 111 cases in -pril 944', &6= of the total number of cases for this cholera crisis.
,6hata 8ay was the worst hit district in -pril with 6$ cases, representing 64= of the number of
cases for that month. >ater supply in the area is reported to be poor as people are drawing water
directly from a local ri"er.
Table (: $howing number of cholera cases reported in the )ears *++6,*++-
District Cases
Re2orte,
District Cases
Re2orte,
District Cases
Re2orte,
District Cases
Re2orte,
8ala6a 9 5hiradulu 1 Mulanje 16 ,sanje 99
8lantyre 1 Machinga 4$ ,6hata 8ay 6$ ,tcheu %
5hi6wawa $ Mangochi %1 ,6hota6ota &' (halombe %1
Some Disasters Malawi has faced over the years
Dumisani Siwinda, 2012
Fig. ": Graph showing District against number of cholera cases reported
-ll the &' cho)era cases in ,6hota6ota were reported from May 9$th to Hune 1'th, towards the
end of the crisis. That was a lesson learned for the cholera tas6force wor6ing group that we
should not lower our awareness, as an outbrea6 may occur in district that were so far considered
as safe.
%o&ern'ent response
Se"eral efforts ha"e been made by go"ernment to eliminate any pre"alence of cholera. )egional
health inspector pro"ides cholera drugs to affected indi"iduals in all the years of infestation@
most people who were treated sur"i"ed the outbrea6.
Ministry of <ealth through the 7epartment of +n"ironmental <ealth conducts anti cho)era
campaigns by pro"iding trainings to communities on hygienic practices throughout the country
almost e"ery year.
Meas)es
Measles 6ills more children than any other "accine?pre"entable disease, most of them in
de"eloping countries. The highly contagious disease accounts for almost one in ten of all deaths
among children under fi"e, half of them in children less than a year old. Measles can also lead to
lifelong disabilities, including brain damage, blindness, and deafness, especially in de"eloping
countries. The disease thri"es in cities, especially in depri"ed urban areas where o"ercrowding
ensures the continued circulation of the measles "irus.
Measles deaths and disability can be pre"ented. - "accine against measles has been a"ailable for
o"er three decades. #t is safe, effecti"e, and cheap in cost for the single dose needed to immunie
a child. 8ut in 199$, one in fi"e of the worldFs children was not immunied against measles
Some Disasters Malawi has faced over the years
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during their first year of life. -nd in -frica, which accounts for more than half of the worldFs
measles cases, less than %4= of children were immunied.
#reas affected and e$tent of effect
- lot of cases were reported in 199$. #t affected almost the entire nation, the most affected areas
include@ Mwana district in Bune6ude, ,eno and Matandani, Mimba district in +moneni,
Mbalachanda, Ia6uwata, 1u6welu6we, Banyan6hunde, (hala area and Mbelwa.
-lmost 199 cases were reported in 1991 alone and 1%6 cases were reported in 199$. 1'= of
children that were affected by measles in 1994 died of the outbrea6 whilst $&= of the affected
children reco"ered after recei"ing treatment.
%o&ern'ent response
-gainst this bac6drop of low immuniation co"erage in -frica, Malawi has succeeded in
boosting immuniation co"erage against measles from only %4= in 19$4 to almost 94= today.
-s a result, the number of reported cases and deaths has fallen dramatically. 7uring 1999, only
two laboratory?confirmed cases were reported. -nd, for the first time e"er, no measles deaths.
Iet only two years earlier, almost '444 measles cases were reported and 96' deaths *although
most cases go unreported and ><. estimates that nine times as many cases and almost fi"e
times as many deaths actually occurred/.
The first 6ey step in reducing measles deaths in Malawi was a sustained increase in routine
immuniation co"erage. This led to an encouraging sharp drop in measles cases and deaths.
<owe"er, while epidemics ha"e become less fre!uent, they still occur e"ery &?% years ??
triggered by a build?up in the number of children who ha"e not been immunied and by the
"accineFs inherent 1%= failure rate. #n an epidemic in 1999, for e3ample, 11 444 cases were
reported.
Then in 199$, Malawi launched a campaign to eliminate measles. The strategy, de"eloped in the
-mericas, where measles has almost been eliminated, in"ol"es a &?pronged attac6 to halt
transmission of the "irusJ a nationwide immuniation campaign usually targeting e"ery child
from nine months to 14 years *Kcatch?upK/@ sustained routine immuniation co"erage of at least
9%= of children during the first year of life *K6eep?upK/@ and nationwide campaigns e"ery 9?%
years usually targeting children born after the initial catch?up campaign *Kfollow?upK/. The aim is
to ensure that few if any children slip through the immuniation net.
#n Hune 199$, a nationwide immuniation campaign in Malawi targeting 4.' million children
from 9 months to 14 years succeeded in reaching o"er 94= of the target population. #n addition,
"itamin - supplements ?? which can pre"ent one in four child deaths from infectious diseases ??
were gi"en to all children aged si3 months to fi"e years.
Some Disasters Malawi has faced over the years
Dumisani Siwinda, 2012
MalawiFs success in reducing the death toll from measles has in"ol"ed concerted efforts to train
health wor6ers, impro"e immuniation safety *including "accine !uality assurance and injection
safety/, and strengthen disease sur"eillance and monitoring s6ills. - 6ey factor has been the
success of social mobiliation campaigns in encouraging parents to immunie their children
against measles. #n some cases, community "olunteers ha"e helped organie door?to?door
immuniation or set up "accination posts nearby to ensure that pre"iously unreached children
could be immunied.
Today, in an effort to pre"ent epidemics of measles, Malawi is continuing efforts to ensure that at
least 9%= of children are immunied during the first year of life and to identify populations
where children are unimmunied and at high ris6 of continued transmission of the measles "irus.
These children will be targeted in the follow?up phase of the campaign.
Ma)n(trition
7espite the "ery impressi"e gains made in national crop production in the agricultural sector,
Malawi continues to face a significant de"elopment challenge to reduce the high le"els of child
malnutrition and mortality which pre"ail across the country. The problem of household food and
economic insecurity, or in other words the inability of families to produce or purchase enough
food to meet basic biological needs, is considered to be a major determinate of MalawiFs
nutrition problem.
-ccording to reports from the sur"ey conducted by Malawi Dulnerability 5ommittee *MD-5/ in
944' most areas of Malawi are identified as potentially food insecure. (re"alence of :lobal
-cute Malnutrition among children 6?%9 months of age was 1.&= in parts of Baronga 7istrict,
4.6= in ,tchisi 7istrict, and 9.'= in the 5hi6wawa C ,sanje area. There were 9 children with
.edema in the 5hi6wawa C ,sanje area and one child in the other two districts.
#reas affected and e$tent of effect
The whole country is affected@ including the neighboring borders e.g. ,tcheu area along Malawi
and Moambi!ue border. #n 19$6 most people affected were Moambicans. The rural areas
record the highest number of children who are malnourished.
Eradicating Malnutrition
;,#5+0 and >0( jointly supported a Supplementary 0eeding (rogramme *S0(/ to children
under 6?%9 months and pregnant and lactating women in 11 out of 1' MD-5 identified districts,
until Hune 944'.
Micronutrient supportJ The first round of "itamin - supplementation and deworming campaign
was conducted in -ugust 944' through the 5hild <ealth days. - total about 1.$ million children
Some Disasters Malawi has faced over the years
Dumisani Siwinda, 2012
*6?%9 months old/ were targeted for "itamin - and 1.6 million children *19?%9 months old/ for
deworming tablets. The second round of 5hild <ealth days combined with 8ednet re?treatment is
planned for ,o"ember 944'. The Ditamin - capsules used were recei"ed as an in?6ind donation
from the 5anadian :o"ernment *5#7-/.
>orld Dision of Malawi helps in dealing with Malnutrition. #t conducts the following acti"ities
in carrying out its programs@ teaching families about food preparation and preser"ation. This has
increased food a"ailability and greatly impro"ed childrenEs nutritional status. Teaching women
better ways of preparing food i.e. balanced diet and safe coo6ing practices. Teaching farmers
ways of fortifying their food with locally a"ailable ingredients. Train health wor6ers on e3clusi"e
breastfeeding practices. This has increased community 6nowledge on infant feeding.
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Dumisani Siwinda, 2012
WEAT4ER RELATED DISASTERS IN MALAWI
0or the past decades Malawi has e3perienced a number of ad"erse climatic haards and yet it still
has limited capacity and abilities to cope with, and respond to weather ad"erse e"ents. >ell
notable climatic haards include <ailstorms, <ea"y rains, 7rought *dry spell/ and >inds. Such
haards ha"e caused a massi"e loss of life and property more especially crops and housing. >ith
the coming in of climate change, where weather pattern ha"e not being predictable li6e before,
such disasters ha"e become rampant on small to medium scale.
-lthough different property is destroyed by such haards, the most affected field is the
-griculture sector. There ha"e been cases of loss of crops right in the field in different parts of
the country such as in the lower shire causing famine.
)ea&* !ain and )ailstor'
7uring the rainy season, rain e"ents may be hea"y, resulting in a downpour of monsoon?li6e rain
to many parts of Malawi. #n some situations, hea"y rain is accompanied by hailstorms, which
pose a major threat to many farming communities in the country. <omes are also affected.
-ccording to .(5 *944%/ many people in Malawi, appro3imately $6=, li"e in rural areas.
Majority of these people li"e in poorly constructed homes made of mud walls with thatched
grass roofs. Such dwellings are e3tremely "ulnerable to hea"y rain e"ents and flooding,
especially, flash flooding. <ailstorms, li6ewise, ha"e a negati"e impact on these types of homes.
#n addition, many communities ha"e been established on the shores of ri"ers or la6es as these
locations pro"ide fertile soil for agriculture *#ndependent .nline 944'/.
Some well notable hailstorms ha"e been registered o"er the years to ha"e destroyed tobacco crop
in the fields. This has been common in the central region where tobacco is e3tensi"ely culti"ated
and some parts of the northern region.
Drought
The opposite side of a hea"y rain e"ent is a drought *or dry spell/, another haard, which
threatens Malawi. ;,7(?Malawi reported si3 occurrences of droughts between 1946 and 944%.
>hile droughts ha"e occurred less than floods, their impact has had a greater effect on the
country. 5enter for )esearch on the +pidemiology of 7isasters *5)+7/ reported that the
number of people affected by droughts since 196% is almost 94 million, while floods ha"e only
impacted close to 9 million people o"er the same time period *+M?7-T 9449/. This simply
indicates that drought is ten times haard compared to floods. The table and graph below shows
major drought e"ents between the year 19$' to 944' as reported by the (re"ntion>eb, an
independent online report.
Some Disasters Malawi has faced over the years
Dumisani Siwinda, 2012
Table ": (umber of people affected b) drought in a specific )ear
5ear 19$' 1994 1999 9449 944% 944'
N(mber o6 2eo2)e
a66ecte,
1,499,96' 9,$44,444 ',444,444 9,$99,4&% %,144,444 %94,444
Fig. +: Graph of people affected b) drought in a specific )ear
0or the past two and half decades, the worst drought occurred was in the year 1991C1999 where
about 'million people were affected.
,rief )istor* of well notable -eather Disasters in Malawi
This section lists the notable disasters that ha"e occurred in Malawi. The a"ailable information
is based on data pro"ided by ;,7(?Malawi and recent newspaper accounts detailing disasters
that ha"e occurred since 944% *the last year for which information from ;,7( was a"ailable/.
8etween 1991 and 1999, a drought impacted most of Malawi affecting appro3imately '
million people. #n response, the go"ernment, in partnership with the international
community, pro"ided food to the affected population. -dditionally, new wells were dug
while pre"iously e3isting wells were rehabilitated. The response effort also included the
pro"ision of medication for waterborne diseases, as well as, health education on
Some Disasters Malawi has faced over the years
Dumisani Siwinda, 2012
communicable diseases.
7uring the same period, 1991 to be specific, (halombe e3perienced "ery "iolent flush
floods that led to loss of li"es and property.
- hailstorm in 1996 affected se"eral "illages in southern Malawi. ;,7(?Malawi reports
that &%& households were affected. The response to this e"ent included the pro"ision of
food aid and blan6ets.
#n the 9441 ? 9449 crop seasons, erratic rain caused a food shortage that impacted
appro3imately & million people. #n response, the following go"ernments andCor ,on?
go"ernment .rganiations *,:.s/ donated food to MalawiJ the ;nited States of
-merica, 5anada, :ermany, #celand, the ;nited Bingdom, Hapan, #taly, 0inland, the
+uropean ;nion, -frican 7e"elopment 8an6, and >orld 0ood (rogramme.
944% and 944', the country recei"ed insufficient rain that led to a drought where about %
million and %44 thousand people were affected respecti"ely.
)ow Malawi %o&ern'ent has !esponded to Disasters
#nitially before 1991, Malawi had no any established 7isaster response program in place. -ll the
disaster response was temporal and much reacti"e. #t was until 1991 after the (halombe flash
floods that a permanent 7isaster response program was established. The (halombe flash floods,
therefore, precipitated the de"elopment of the 7isaster (reparedness and )elief -ct of 1991.
This -ct established a basic foundation for emergency or disaster management in the country.
There are major fi"e elements in the act which are the followingJ
5reation of the .ffice of 5ommissioner for 7isaster (reparedness, )elief and )ehabilitation,
whose chief e3ecuti"e is responsible for fulfilling emergency relief programs within the
country.
7e"elopment of the ,ational 7isaster (reparedness and )elief 5ommittee, consisting of
high?le"el administrati"e heads of departments.
.utlining the process by which the president can declare a state of disaster. - presidential
declaration is "alid for three months, but may be terminated sooner based on the presidentFs
discretion.
+stablishment of a fund for disaster preparedness. (arliament is responsible for allocating
money for the fund@ howe"er, the act ma6es a pro"ision for pri"ate donations and donations
recei"ed from foreign go"ernments, international agencies, andCor other foreign bodies.
+stablishment of a local disaster response mechanism creating a regional and community
le"el disaster response system. 8y establishing a local response framewor6, the act
Some Disasters Malawi has faced over the years
Dumisani Siwinda, 2012
empowered those who would most li6ely be impacted by a disaster to appropriately prepare
for, and respond to, a haard impacting their community.
0urthermore, Malawi has embraced that disaster ris6 and reduction is much a better way than
response. -s such disaster ris6 reduction policy as well as operational guidelines for disaster ris6
management in Malawi has been de"eloped. These guidelines outline the specific roles and
responsibilities of "arious go"ernment departments, non?go"ernment organiations *,:.s/, and
;nited ,ations agencies
.on/%o&ern'ental and 0o''unit* !esponse to Disasters
Se"eral ,:.s o"er the years ha"e de"eloped 7isaster )is6 and )eduction programs commonly
referred to as 7)). This is different from the past where a lot different food and aid such as
shelter, safe water, blan6ets and many others were pro"ided in disaster affected areas. This is a
bit cheaper to compare to compare the amount money that was pre"iously spent in disaster
response alone.
Through such programs smallholder farmers in Malawi ha"e been trained in se"eral adaptation
strategies, including changes in crops grown and changes in growing patterns, ha"e been
underta6en in response. <owe"er, smallholder farmers ha"e faced limitations in adapting to
climate change because they lac6 capacity including 6nowledge, s6ills and money.
Some Disasters Malawi has faced over the years
Dumisani Siwinda, 2012
A7RIC8LT8RAL RELATED DISASTERS
Malawi has had its share of haards in the -gricultural sector which ha"e conse!uently affected
the output mostly of food and cash crops. Such disasters ha"e been "ery de"astating more
especially that the economy of the country is agro?based. These disasters are e3cluding the
weather parameters that directly affect the sector@ rather in consideration are infestations such as
mealy bug, army worms, and locusts.
Am+ Worm
-rmyworm .$podoptera e/empta0 is a particularly de"astating pest. -s the outbrea6s are difficult
to predict, they catch farmers unaware and unprepared. #f uncontrolled, they can cause total crop
loss, with millions of hectares affected in bad years. -my worm has a long history of attac6ing
food crops most commonly Maie. The pest has contributed to the low yields and the poor
!uality maie har"ested. The pest is difficult to control because the cost of buying pesticides for
farmers is just so high.
Fig. 1: 1rm)worm
#reas e&er affected and e$tent of effect
-s much as the infestation is felt by the whole nation, itEs ta6en so long since a major infestation
too6 place. The most recent infestations were recorded as followsJ
Table +: %esults for recent arm) worm infestations
5ear District 3armers
a66ecte,
4actara*e
Destro+e,
Ma%or Cro2 Destro+e,
9444
Baronga ?
1%$ rice and cassa"a
Some Disasters Malawi has faced over the years
Dumisani Siwinda, 2012
9446 Salima 6146 4%1$ maie
9414 9 districts 1'444 %444 maie
#n 9419 farmers in the central district of Malawi, Mchinji, were warned of looming army worm
infestations that destroyed maie field in the neighbouring district of Gambia. #t reported that
maie destruction of in the other side of Gambia posed a threat to Malawi. <owe"er, the
infestation did not attac6 the nation.
%o&ern'ent !esponse
The :o"ernment through the Ministry of -griculture pro"ided pesticides to communities to
spray to a"oid the ris6 of the attac6 in all the years. Se"eral warning such as that of Mchinji case
ha"e been issued in ad"ance so that precautionary measures should be ta6en. #n a way one would
say that the go"ernment has been successful in dealing with -my worm infestation because it is
no longer so common as it used to be in the 94s.
Mea)+ -(*
Mealy bug infestation is common in areas that grow a lot of 5assa"a. Mealy bug stri"es well
along the la6eshore areas e.g. ,6hatabay district. #t is a dangerous outbrea6 because it reduces
producti"ity of cassa"a which in turn results into losses. The infestation might as well render
some households in cassa"a dependent districts food insecure e.g. in ,6hota6ota district some
households do not plant maie they rely on cassa"a so when it is attac6ed by mealy bugs they
may become food insecure.
#reas affected and the e$tent of effect
-s already stated, most areas affected are those near water bodies. The table below shows the
Mealy bug infestation of 19$6 which is recorded as the recent worst case.
Table 2: Meal) bug infestation of 1986
District 3armers a66ecte, Cassa9a Destro+e, :ha;
,6hatabay
9%$$ 644&
)umphi %99 944
Baronga &&& 49$
%o&ern'ent !esponse
The :o"ernment through Ministry of 7isaster and (reparedness pro"ides assistance to the
farmers affected by the infestation mainly in form of Maie e.g. in 19$6C$' season 1&94' bags of
Maie were distributed to households whose farms had been attac6ed by the pest. <owe"er for
some time now mealy bug infestation is more less li6e history.