Development

Thinking long-term solution to floods

It happened slowly like in a movie. Tally Losha, a head teacher at Chikonje Primary School in Nsanje, saw the walls of his house collapse one after another as the flood waters rushed in.

At first, Losha who, together with his wife and two children, was standing helpless in the living room, thought the waters coming in the house were minimal as it happens every year, and that it would recede within a short time. Being midnight, the family felt they would be safer inside.

Some of the victims preparing meals at a camp
Some of the victims preparing meals at a camp

“First, we saw the wall on the right side of the living room falling. Then an adjacent wall followed suit in just seconds.

“More water flowed past us and pushed down the other wall. Within a space of 30 minutes, all the walls of the house were gone and we started running for safety,” recalls Losha.

He says his wife grabbed their daughter’s hand and he did the same with their son.

“The waters were too strong outside that we could not run as it was dark as well,” he says.

The next thing he remembers is that he was rescued from a tree, but the well wishers failed to do the same to his wife and children, who are still missing.

This is the kind of trauma that lives on among flood survivors in the Shire Valley.

Livestock, property and crops were swept away by the devastating floods that left 174 000 people displaced and 106 missing.

Most victims say they cannot wait any longer for change.

During the World Meteorological Day event held at Mpatsa Community Day Secondary School (CDSS) in Nsanje last week, it was evident that people want a long-term solution to floods.

Like Losha and others, Senior Chief Malemia wants this year’s disaster to be the last. But are there possible long-term solutions to floods?

So far, the recently launched Disaster Risk Management Policy gives some hope in the long run.

Apart from improving preparedness for response to and recovery from disasters and developing an integrated, comprehensive and effective people-centred early warning system, the policy is suggesting relocation as a long-term solution.

But if the Kudzigulira Malo Project is anything to go by, this solution may not be as simple as it sounds.

A 2013 World Bank project performance assessment report on Kudzigulira Malo hints on several weaknesses that forced beneficiaries to return to their original homes, including lack of social amenities and basic needs in the new areas. It also highlights that cultural beliefs were over-looked.

Even district commissioner of Mangochi, Bester Mandere, a district that welcomed some of the beneficiaries, admits shortfalls which he says need to be looked into before any such project is implemented.

“The design of the project did not look into issues of social services. In some cases, people sought their own solutions, but they were limited in some areas.

“When people faced problems in their areas, they drilled boreholes, but what about schools. Before people are relocated, they should first be allowed to assess the land,” says Mandere.

To avoid such challenges, how best can the Shire Valley relocation be done?

Chief Malemia says there is will for people to move, but there is need for a better communication system and decision-making structure supported by the victims themselves so that they own the ideas.

“Many victims are traumatised and willing to move. As chiefs, we have had several meetings recently and we are discussing how best to do it.

“We want some people to surrender their farm land for survivors to use it for housing, but we cannot force them. With proper government support, it can work provided we respect cultures, guarantee social amenities in the chosen areas and ensure they are protected from poverty,” he says.

Mike Nazombe, communication, development, social and behavioural science specialist and lecturer at the Polytechnic reckons relocation is a better solution, but urges government to rework on its communication strategy.

Nazombe says enough lessons have been learnt and it is time government adopts the communication and development strategy on managing disasters, which focuses on participatory and engaging communication system.

“This is the communication system that we need—one that is face to face and engaging. No media or e-mails. The authorities should go on the ground and talk to the people. Give them room to decide on what to do and they should make decisions.

“They have cultural or social issues that might influence them not to move and giving them this platform will help the initiative work because if is it about moving to higher lands, they will understand what life will be like there. So it is the sense of ownership that matters,” he says.

Another possible option as proposed by Malemia and Nsanje district commissioner Anastanzio Chibwana in the presence of Principal Secretary for Environment and Climate Change Management Yanira Ntupanyama is to construct dykes to capture the flooding waters from the uplands of Thyolo, Mulanje and Blantyre, among others.

“We need to find ways of keeping the flooding waters so that they do not cause harm to the people and their properties. This makes the dykes idea viable.

“We are also moving towards the time we should be harvesting rain water and use it for other purposes. This can be done, but the crucial factor is that it is not only my office that is responsible, so this should be accepted in all concerned ministries,” says Ntupanyama.

Netherlands is a role model in using dykes. They have a theory which says ‘live with water and don’t fight it’. With 60 percent of its population at risk to floods, the country has won the battle through construction of dykes which are also used in irrigating crops grown in land reclaimed from water bodies.

However, this success was not registered without problems. The country experienced floods in 1993 and in 1995, where over 200 000 people had to be evacuated and hundreds of farm animals died. This jolted the government of Netherlands into action.

It was sacrifice, but Hans Brouwers, a senior rivers expert in Netherlands in an interview with The Guardian newspaper-UK, said: “It takes convincing people to move. They get the market value of their house and that is all.

“We will help them find another place, but not financially. The only thing we do is to make sure that they do not lose money. People will accept the situation if you are honest and proactive and go to people and talk to them and take their fears seriously.”

Perhaps this is something that Malawi can learn from.

 

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