Councils urged to prepare for disasters
Department of Disaster Management Affairs (Dodma) commissioner Charles Kalemba has urged district councils in the Southern and Eastern regions to put in place measures to address the impact of disasters.
He made the call on Saturday in Blantyre when he opened a two-day meeting organised for council officials from the regions.
Kalemba said although the seasonal forecast for Malawi is not yet out, Dodma engaged the councils to prepare for disasters in advance.
The Department of Climate Change and Meteorological Services is expected to release the seasonal forecast which will inform the country what might be experienced during the season.
At regional level, the Southern African Development Community indicates that the region is likely to receive normal to above-normal rainfall just like last season.
The predictions are for the period October, November, December 2022 and January, February, March 2023.
Said Kalemba: “The seasonal forecast forms the basis for contingency planning for anticipated disasters during the season.
“Contingency plans will ensure that councils have prepositioned equipment, relief items and well-outlined coordination measures enabling them to respond to any disaster occurrence in the councils.”
Phalombe District Council director of planning and development Eric Kenamu commended Dodma for the meeting.
“The training will help councils to prepare standardised contingency plans,” he said.
