|
|
|
|
| National |
| Government releases K10m for flood victims |
|
by
Emmanuel Muwamba, 05 January 2006
-
06:02:04
|
Government has released K10 million to the Department of Poverty and Disaster Management Affairs to help flood victims and others affected due to heavy rain in the country.
The commissioner for the department Meria Nowa-Phiri said government released the money last week.
“We received K10 million to deal with the situation. The money will be used to procure food. We will provide them with maize flour, beans, plastic sheets for temporary shelter, plastic pails, cups among others,” she said.
She added that the department has run short of the supplies and “that money will be used to build the stock.”
Nowa-Phiri disclosed that a number of households in the country have been affected, saying apart from Nsanje and Chikwawa, other districts like Lilongwe, Zomba, Thyolo and Balaka have reported heavy rains or hailstorm affecting households.
“I have heard reports that Mulanje has been affected too but the matter has not been reported to me. But I know of Thyolo where 228 households have been affected with heavy rains. In Zomba 94 households have been affected as well as Balaka with 535 households,” she said.
She added that other areas are Nkhata Bay and Mzimba.
“In Nsanje the initial figure was 60 households but the projections indicate that the figure may rise above 1,000 but I am yet to confirm the figure with the DC.
She said her department has scaled up relief efforts and will be able to deal with the current disaster because it prepared a budget of K30 million from where K10 million has been withdrawn.
In Chikwawa, flash floods have rendered more than 8,000 farming families homeless with crops and livestock washed away and houses falling. Government Wednesday said it has provided 6,000 kg of maize seed for replanting.
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
