K38bn required in disaster response
Malawi needs to raise about K38.5 billion ($81 million) to manage the current disaster response and the subqequent resettlement afterwards but faces a shortfall of K31.8 billion ($67 million).
This funding gap, as outlined in the preliminary disaster response plan, raises the question of how authorities are going to source the balance in light of the urgency of the need to provide relief and rehabilitation services to the affected communities.
Currently, $9.5 million (about K4.5 billion) has been received with $4.4 million (about K2.1 billion) being pledged.
In his State of the Nation Address yesterday, President Peter Mutharika said: “The overall strategic objectives for this response plan are to ensure that affected households receive timely assistance.”
However, the question of the assistance being timely would need to stand the test of time considering that the current funds fall short of the total expected amount.
Asked to comment on how the deficit will be raised in light of the urgency of the situation, Office of the Vice-President, through its spokesperson Pilirani Phiri, referred the matter to the commissioner for Department of Disaster Management Affairs (Dodma) Paul Chiunguzeni whose phone, however, went unanswered.
Two weeks ago incessant rains caused flooding in 15 of the country’s 28 districts, causing extensive damage, including displacing over 200 000 and killing 176.
Efforts to mitigate the impact of the floods took off immediately after the floods, but the pace at which they are going and the inflow of resources gives rise to questions of how the funds gap will be bridged.
With the collaboration of the Malawi Government and the humanitarian community, Dodma carried out an initial assessment while the United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) carried out a similar assessment.
After the assessments, a preliminary disaster response plan has been released, showing a total of 62 dead, 153 missing, 174 000 displaced, 200 000 learners displaced and 638 000 persons affected by the disaster. The report also makes mention of the probability of the figures rising as shown by the death toll, which recently rose to 176.
Furthermore, the report discloses that a total of 234 schools were damaged and 181 are currently used as relocation sites for displaced people who have lost their homes to the floods.
To curb the impact of the floods, the preliminary disaster response plan divided the response areas into clusters, which inc1ude shelter and camp management, protection services, education, food security, agriculture, health and HIV, transport and logistics, nutrition as well as water and sanitation.
The most funds in the allocations were given to shelter and camp management, which got $17 929 130 (about K8.5 billion) while the least funds were allocated to nutrition with $2 313 227 (about K1.1 billion).
