Malawi Govt assures Nkhata Bay on disasters

Principal Secretary in the Department of Disaster Management Affairs Jeffrey Kanyinji has assured Nkhata Bay District Council that government will soon deal with the problems that prevent the council from handling disasters effectively.

Kanyinji said this in an interview on Wednesday when responding to concerns raised by Nkhata Bay district  commissioner Michael Chimbalanga at a recent disaster management training workshop that failure by the department to give the council the independence to manage disasters is hampering its operations.

“We are worried with the conduct of [the department]. They announced years back that we will stand on our own by providing us with the operational funds to manage disasters but nothing has happened. Instead, we still see them carrying cups, food and plastic papers, among others, during disasters in our district, something we feel is not a priority to the victims” said Chimbalanga.

He added: “We applaud [the department] for deploying a disaster management officer here, but what would he do when he has no resources?”

The DC claimed that his office uses the little resources it has to serve the department’s office.

But Kanyinji said the department engaged the Office of the President and Cabinet two weeks ago to draw up the budget for Nkhata Bay but the death of former president Bingu wa Mutharika has affected the process.