Zomba Thondwe MP pleads for relief food

Zomba Thondwe legislator Charles Tikhiwa says 154 000 people in the district are in need of relief food.

The member of Parliament (MP) said this on Friday when Minister of Local Government and Rural Development Kondwani Nankhumwa commissioned Sunuzi, Chiswamafupa and Tilitonse irrigation schemes in the district.

During the launch, Traditional Authority (T/A) M’biza appealed to government to treat the hunger situation with urgency.

On his part, Zomba district commissioner (DC) Emmanuel Bambe acknowledged the challenge, saying the figures of hunger-stricken families could even be higher.

He cited communities around Lake Chilwa such as Chisi, Ngotangota and Chinguma as the most affected.

But the DC said the Department of Disaster Management Affairs (Dodma) would start distributing maize soon.

“We expect to start distributing relief food from January through March, but the district needs more food to reach out to many people,” he said.

In his reaction, Nankhumwa said he had noted the problem and would forward it to authorities for action.

Prolonged dry spells, fall armyworms and floods affected tfood production during the last farming season, causing hunger in many parts of the country. n