Govt deploys MDF to flood prone Nsanje District
Malawi Defence Force (MDF) rescue team has been deployed to Nsanje District in preparation for flooding.
The development comes after the Department of Meteorological Services and Climate Change forecasted that rains will be above normal.
Nsanje district commissioner (DC) Gift Rapozo confirmed the development, saying the officers arrived on Monday.
“Let me confirm that MDF rescue team under Marine Department has been deployed in the district. They have come with equipment, including two dingy boats, one rubber boat and 40 life jackets which are being positioned in strategic centres like Nsanje, Bangula and Makhanga. They comprise seven officers including skippers, divers, safety officers and engineers,” he said.
Rapozo commended the Department of Disaster Management Affairs (Dodma) for effective response to the potential flooding.
Dodma spokesperson Jeremiah Mphande said it is government’s wish to ensure that this year’s disaster response is done effectively, hence, the deployment of MDF rescue teams in the Lower Shire district.
He said government has also put on standby helicopters at MDF camp in Blantyre where an emergency centre has been instituted ready for any occurrence.
In January 2015, the country experienced one of the worst flooding disasters in recent history killing 176 people and displacing 200 000 others, with Nsanje and Chikwawa districts being the worst affected. n
