DoDMA urges adherence to climate change guidelines to mitigate impacts

The Department of Disaster Risk Management Affairs (DoDMA) has emphasized the need for Malawians to follow climate change guidelines to combat the adverse effects of climate change effectively.

Some of the damaged houses in TA Namavi Pic. Courtesy of MH Disaster Office

DoDMA Chief Disaster Response Officer, Madalitso Henry Mwale, highlighted that the country’s struggle to address climate challenges is partly due to non-adherence to the department’s guidelines.

He noted that communities in cyclone-prone areas often resist relocating to safer zones despite repeated advice from the department.

“They insist on staying in areas that are not habitable and later suffer severely during cyclones. This undermines our mitigation efforts,” Mwale explained.

Mwale also urged urban dwellers to adhere to resilient building standards by constructing structures capable of withstanding climate change impacts.

He cited safer schools and housing construction guidelines as crucial but acknowledged that affordability remains a challenge.

Failure to comply with DoDMA’s advice, Mwale warned, could further strain disaster response efforts, especially with limited funds.

For instance, Cyclone Freddy in 2023 required K147.8 billion for response efforts, but the country managed to raise only K118.3 billion.

Mwale further stressed the need for essential disaster response materials which are currently lacking in Malawi.

“Currently, the country is not ready to respond well to different disasters that hit the country as it does not have enough materials that can be used to rescue people in times of disasters.”

“For the country to be able to respond to well in times of cyclones and disasters, it needs to have enough choppers, megaphones and enough specialized boats of which currently the country does not have,” he added.

He also urged communities to prioritize environmental recommendations such as afforestation, riverbank maintenance, and early weather warnings to mitigate disasters effectively.

Naviyo Village resident, Traditional Authority (T/A) Njema in Mulanje district Sosten Fashon, who survived Cyclone Freddy and is still recovering but lost his child, revealed that delayed warnings left communities unprepared.

“During the cyclone Freddy, we did not hear the warnings indvance that our village will be affected by the cyclone and we were living our lives as usual, instead we got the messages about the cyclone when it already started flooding.”

“Had it been we heard the warnings earlier on, my child could have survived and some of our properties could have been rescued because we could relocate to safer places inadvance,” said Mofati

Meanwhile Fashon has called on the government to invest in adequate early warning equipments and ensure timely dissemination of disaster alerts.

Cyclone Freddy left over 1,400 fatalities in Malawi.

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