Parliamentary Statement on Disaster 02 February 2015

8/9/2019 Parliamentary Statement on Disaster 02 February 2015

1/26

GOVERNMENT OF MALAWI

PARLIAMENTARY STATEMENT BY THE

LEADER OF THE HOUSE, HON. FRANCIS

KASAILA, M.P.


2/26

National Assembly of Malawi

2nd

February 2015

2


3/26

1.0Introduction

Mr. Speaker Sir,

I have the honour to present a Statement on the flood disaster

which affected the country following the above normal rains

experienced during the month of January, 2015. Preliminary

reports indicate that the floods have left at least 174,000 people

displaced with 62 deaths and 153 people still missing. This number

is expected to rise as more information is received and analysed.

This situation prompted His Excellency the President Prof. Arthur

Peter Mutharika to declare a State of Disaster on 13thJanuary,

2015 in 15 Districts of Nsanje, Chikwawa, Phalombe, Zomba,

Mangochi, Blantyre, Chiradzulu, Thyolo, Mulanje, Balaka,

Machinga, Ntcheu, Salima, Rumphi and Karongain accordance

with powers conferred upon the State President by Section 32(1) of

the Disaster Preparedness and Relief Act (1991).

During the preliminary stage of the disaster especially in the

Districts of Chikwawa and Nsanje, search and rescue operations

were launched using Malawi Defence Force Helicopters and boats

from Marine Units of MDF, Police and Marine Department of the

Ministry of Transport and other partners who also assisted in the

3


4/26

operations. To this end, I would like to mention in particular Iris

Africa, a Non-Governmental Organization operating in Nsanje which

did a tremendous job during the early phase of the search and

rescue operation.

Over 20,000 people were rescued despite poor weather conditions

which hampered the early air rescue operations and strong water

currents which affected boat rescue operations.

2.0THE RESPONSE ARCHITECTURE

Mr. Speaker, Sir,

Soon after the Declaration of the State of Disaster by His Excellency

the President, Government immediately activated the National

Disaster Response and Coordination architecture. The architecture

provides for a National Disaster Preparedness and Relief Committee

and a cluster management system. The membership and functions

of the structures are as follows: -

4


5/26

a. NATIONAL DISASTER PREPAREDNESS AND RELIEF

COMMITTEE

This is a committee of selected government Ministries,

Departments and Agencies (MDAs); and UN Agencies to guide

the direction of the response in terms of prioritization and

operational issues. The Committee Mr. Speaker Sir is currently

meeting twice a week.

b.HUMANITARIAN COUNTRY TEAM

This Team is responsible for the coordination of the on-going

emergency response and provides an interface between

Government and partners involved in the response. It

comprises Heads of UN Agencies, International and LocalNGOs, Government Officials and the Malawi Red Cross

Society.

c.CLUSTER COORDINATION

The clusters are responsible for identification of needs within

the cluster and ensuring that the needs are addressed.

Members of the clusters comprise relevant Government

5


6/26

Ministries and departments, UN Agencies, cooperating

partners and Non-Governmental Organizations.

Ten clusters have been activated in the areas of Coordination,

communication and assessment, Food Security, Agriculture,

Health, Nutrition, Education, Protection, Water and

Sanitation, Transport and Logistics and Shelter and Camp

Management. The clusters are led by the Principal Secretaries

from the relevant Government Ministries and co-led by the

Heads of the relevant UN Agencies.

The clusters are responsible for analyzing needs of the

respective sectors and come up with the response plans on a

weekly basis or when need arises.

Mr. Speaker Sir, the House may wish to note that in addition

to the above structures Government also directed to establish

Emergency Operations Centres in Lilongwe, Blantyre and

Mzuzu to serve as nerve centers to respond to disasters in the

respective regions. Government established a NationalEmergency Operations Centre at the Department of Disaster

Management Affairs (DoDMA) in Lilongwe. Liaison Officers

6


7/26

from the clusters are operating from the Center in

collaboration with officials from the UN Agencies.

The centre in Blantyre is also now operational and the centrein Mzuzu will be operationalized should more districts be

affected in the northern region.

A toll free line115was also established for the public to

report on any disaster or enquiries relating to the current

disasters to the centre. This line can be accessed from anylocal telephone network.

3.0Disaster Response Situation

Mr. Speaker, Sir, permit me now to brief the House on thepreliminary findings of the needs of those affected.

An initial interagency rapid assessment led by DoDMA was

conducted from 5th 15thJanuary, 2015 and another one

undertaken by the United Nations Disaster Assessment and

Coordination team (UNDAC) indicated that the immediate

response needs are: -

Food in all temporary displacement centres

7


8/26

Shelter

Clothing

Water

Hygiene materials

Kitchen utensils

Blankets

Plastic sheeting

Construction materials and tools

Latrines

Agricultural inputs and Protection services.

I wish to, therefore, brief the House on the preliminary

findings of the clusters and the subsequent relief operations.

3.1EMERGENCY SHELTER AND CAMP

MANAGEMENT

The cluster is responsible for rapid site planning for

temporary resettlement to ensure that the resettlement

areas do not create conditions for disease outbreak, have

provisions for basic services and pay attention to

minimize other environmental impacts in these areas.

The cluster will also strengthen the capacity of the

displaced for early recovery and inform future responses

8


9/26

by training them in good construction methods and

targeting the most vulnerable with construction

materials.

To that end, Mr. Speaker Sir, 174,000 people (31,636

households) have been displaced in the three worst

affected districts of Nsanje, Chikwawa and Phalombe

and, therefore, require provision of emergency shelter.

Currently most of these households are living in schools,

churches and other public buildings and it is the

objective of this cluster to relocate all people from

schools, churches and other public buildings to camps. It

is estimated that3,350tents will be required for this

exercise and so far only1,170tents have been provided

and government and other partners are still sourcing for

more.

3.2PROTECTION

This cluster is responsible for the protection of vulnerable

and marginalized groups in the internally displaced

persons centres.

9


10/26

The cluster shall also establish child-friendly spaces

where children can feel safe, play and receive

psychological support. It will also ensure identification

and tracing of separated children and family reunification

as well as provision of interim care for unaccompanied

and separated children.

The cluster shall also ensure that the affected vulnerable

groups are provided with relief to facilitate resettlement of

the affected vulnerable population.

It is estimated that28,007children and63,109women

have been affected. These together with other vulnerable

groups such as persons with disabilities, the elderly and

those living with HIV/AIDS will need special attention.

3.3EDUCATION CLUSTER

Approximately 415 schools have been affected i.e.

damaged, flooded or being used by displaced

communities as shelter and approximately 350,000

learners are affected. Out of the 415 schools, 181 are

currently being used as relocation sites for internally

10


11/26

displaced persons who have lost their homes and out of

the other 234 affected schools 40 are currently

inaccessible.

The wind and heavy rains experienced in mid-January

damaged several school feeding facilities, teachers houses

and latrines. The most affected is Phalombe where 37

schools have been damaged.

This situation has drastically impacted the quality of

learning for the short and medium term, as learning

materials have been lost and structures destroyed.

The key objective of the Cluster is to restore the

compromised rights of children and guarantee access to

quality education and, therefore, five main areas have

been identified for immediate action:

Education in Emergency to guarantee the continuity

of the services and set up alternative learning

spaces.

Quality of education to supply with temporary

Teaching and Learning Materials.

Psycho social support and counseling.

11


12/26

Water, Sanitation and Hygiene facilities in schools.

School feeding and health issues.

The major outcome for the Education Cluster is to ensure

that access to quality education is sustained despite the

emergencies.

Currently, efforts are underway to persuade communities

still using classrooms for shelter to allow pupils use the

facilities during the day so as to minimize the disruption

of classes. It is, however, hoped that as more tents are

received, more classroom space will be freed for the

learners to resume classes. It is also planned that

learning spaces for 154,700 learners be established

temporarily by providing 589 tents and 2,178 rolls ofplastic sheeting for temporary classrooms and teachers

houses.

3.4FOOD SECURITY

In total an estimated 368,181 people (66,942 households)

require immediate food assistance. Out of this, 263,566

people (47,921 households) have been displaced and

require immediate food assistance for 6 months when

12


13/26

they expect their first harvest from winter cropping, while

104,616 people, (19,021 households) require food

assistance for 3.5 months. Food assistance will be

provided to all affected people in the 15 districts and the

food basket will comprise maize, or maize meal, pulses,

corn soya blend and oil and it is planned that a total of

25,725 mt will be distributed. Food distribution will be

done by government through the Department of Disaster

Management Affairs (DoDMA), World Food Programme

(WFP) and selected Non-Governmental Organizations.

Government has committed to provide 14,000 mt from

the Strategic Grain Reserves as its contribution towards

the food assistance response.

The cluster is planning that an estimated 19,021 flood

affected households will require food assistance until

April, 2015 beyond which their food needs will be

determined by a Malawi Vulnerability Assessment

Committee (MVAC)s assessments. These households

have been impacted by floods but are expected to realize

harvest from the current cropping season.

13


14/26

An estimated 47,921 flood displaced households living in

camps will need food assistance until July 2015 when

their harvest from winter cropping would be expected

subject to flood waters receding in time to allow winter

cultivation and agricultural inputs provided. These

people have been displaced and have lost their livelihoods

and access to crops and assets. It is hoped that if they

replant in April, they would be able to access their first

winter harvest around July, 2015. If they would not be

able to realize adequate winter harvest by this time, their

food assistance needs may have to be extended beyond

July, but to be determined by MVAC.

3.5HEALTH

The Health cluster is responsible for the provision of

drugs and supplies, prevention and control of disease

outbreaks, injuries, provision of essential productive

health services including deliveries and continuation of

care for people on life saving treatment (HIV, TB,Diabetes, Hypertensions, etc).

14


15/26

In order to achieve its objectives, the cluster will carry

out the following activities: -

Strengthen early detection and reporting of disease

outbreaks;

Provide adequate chlorine for camps and

surrounding communities to prevent and control of

disease outbreaks such as cholera, dysentery,

malaria.

Sustain immunization and growth monitoring of

children under-five years of age.

Provide treatment for acute, chronic diseases and

injuries.

Distribute supplies and commodities such as ITNs,

Chlorine-based products for water treatment,

emergency contraceptives, condoms, nutrition and

therapeutic supplements.

Provide continuum of care to people on ART, TB,

Diabetes, hypertension etc.

Establish temporary consultation, treatment and

maternal delivery shelters within the camp sites

Intensify health education on personal, water andfood hygiene.

3.6AGRICULTURE

15


16/26

The Department of Surveys estimates that 63,531

hectares were submerged by flood waters as of 13th

January, 2015. As a result an estimated 116,000

households have lost their crops and livestock, covering

an area of 36,000 hectares in 13 districts. Out of these

22,000 households have lost everything and have been

displaced and require immediate support in form of

agricultural inputs so that they are able to re-start their

agricultural production. 30,000 households have been

affected including their fields and livestock washed away

or submerged in water for many days. They have lost

their agricultural production for the next season. They

also require agricultural inputs to plant using residual

moisture or irrigation. 64,000 households have had part

of their crops washed away or submerged in water for

several days and their livestock have died. They also

require assistance to restore their livelihoods.

The Agriculture cluster will, therefore, seek to provide

short cycle varieties of food for replanting now or use

residual moisture from the month of March. It also seeks

to provide low-cost irrigation equipment to ensure food

production and provision of small livestock.

16


17/26

3.7TRANSPORT AND LOGISTICS

This cluster is responsible for ensuring that theoperations for all other clusters are going on smoothly in

terms of providing transport logistics. Currently, the

mode of transport is by road, air and boat, ferrying food

and non-food items to the affected areas.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, permit me to commend the Malawi

Defence Force for the role they continue to play in this

sector. They successfully led the search and rescue

efforts during the early days of the disaster and continue

up to now to deliver food and non-food items to areas not

accessible by road. The MDF is also participating in road

transport logistics.

Let me also commend the Government of the Republic of

South Africa for also rendering support through the

provision of two helicopters which enabled us to airlift

more relief items in collaboration with the MDF to areas

currently inaccessible by road. The team from the South

African Government National Disaster Management

17


18/26

Agency came on assessment mission on 22ndJanuary

and concluded the assessment on 29thJanuary, 2015.

Their findings will form the basis of further assistance by

the Government of South Africa.

The cluster has also been responsible for the assessment

of damaged roads, bridges, telecommunication

infrastructures with a view to have them repaired as part

of the recovery process. The World Bank has committed

the sum of US$600,000 to enable us repair some

damaged roads. Priority will be given to opening access

to areas which are currently inaccessible by road.

3.8NUTRITION

This clusters key objective is to prevent nutritional

deterioration and mortality due to acute malnutrition. A

caseload of 24,085 severe acute malnutrition cases is

expected to arise within the 15 districts affected by the

floods.

The nutrition status of children in emergencies

deteriorates rapidly, especially under flood situations.

18


19/26

The cases of acute malnutrition is also expected to

increase considerably due to compromised infant and

young child feeding, disease outbreak such as diarrhea,

cholera, measles and acute respiratory infections (ARIs),

malaria and infections. Considering the displaced

population and prevalence rate of the affected districts, a

case load of 655 severe acute malnutrition (SAM) cases is

expected over and above the anticipated caseload of

24,085 within the 15 affected districts. Also, 58,000 are

expected to suffer from moderate acute malnutrition

(MAM), requiring supplementary feeding. However, for an

appropriate nutrition response, it will be best to plan for

worst-case scenario as nutritional status is expected to

deteriorate rapidly after the first 14 days.

The key response principle is to protect the nutritional

status of children and women by providing nutritionally

adequate food, including micronutrients, and by

identifying and treating those already malnourished. The

nutrition cluster will provide a nutritional package in

affected areas. The nutritional package consists of rapid

assessment kits (MUACs) for active screening with

referral for case management of severe acute

19


20/26

malnutrition (SAM) and moderate acute malnutrition

(MAM) for children under age 5; and health, hygiene and

infant and young child feeding education. All children

between the ages of 6 to 35 months will receive super

cereal in the food basket (refer to food security cluster).

Community Management of Acute Malnutrition (CMAM)

services will be provided through static facilities and

where possible initially through mobile services in other

areas as the situation evolves further static facilities

could be explored. Vitamin A supplementation and de-

worming for prevention of Vitamin A Deficiency will also

be done.

The cluster will therefore ensure provision and

distribution of protective food for supplementary feeding

and treatment and management of acute malnutrition.

The Ministry of Health is working in collaboration with

UNICEF and other NGOs.

3.9WATER SANITATION AND HYGIENE

The cluster is responsible for the provision of access to

safe drinking water and shall serve 500,000 people in the

20


21/26

affected districts. The cluster is also responsible for

sanitation in the camps and major actors in the cluster

are Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water

Development and several NGOs. Sanitation and hygiene

are very critical if we are to prevent a serious outbreak of

diseases.

4.0RESPONSE PLAN TO THE DISASTER

Based on the initial assessment and the needs analysis by the

Clusters, Government in collaboration with the UN Agencies

has developed a Preliminary Response Plan. This plan

outlines requirements by the clusters for 3 months (except for

food security cluster which is for 6.5 months). and is seeking

funding amounting to US$81 million to meet the requirements

of the cluster.

The Plan has been circulated to all our partners and was

officially launched on 29thJanuary, 2015 in Geneva and will

be launched in New York on 4thFebruary 2015. It is the

Malawi Governments hope that our partners and other well-

21


22/26

wishers will come forward to assist towards meeting the

required funding.

Government has so far provided K650 million through the

National Disaster Appeal Fund to fund the operations of the

clusters and the Department of Disaster Management Affairs.

K150 million was provided to the Department of Disaster

Management Affairs at the onset of the rainy season for

disaster response. This money was used for the procurement

of beans, blankets, salt, plastic pails, plates, cups and plastic

cups, providing operational funds to 15 district councils,

transportation and distribution of relief items to disaster

affected people. K500 million has been provided after the

declaration of a State of Disaster. The money has been used as

follows:

EXPENDITURE REPORT OF K500,000,000.00

ITEM DESCRIPTION

AMOUNT

OF

EXPENDITURE (MK)

BALANCE

ON

FUNDING(MK) REMARKS

Malawi Defence Force

103,000,000.00

397,000,000.00

For search andrescue andairliftin of relieite!s

22


23/26

"ands and #ousin$ %helter cluster&

14,850,000.00

382,150,000.00

For erection oftents

"ands and #ousin$ %helter cluster& 971,000.00 381,179,000.00

For cluster

assess!ent ofca!' condition

District (o!!issioners

25,270,000.00

355,909,000.00

)'erationalfunds for *oodres'onse

Balance as of 30/1/15

355,909,00

0.00

Mr. Speaker, Sir,

Soon after the Declaration of the State of Disaster, an appeal

for donations was also made and I am pleased to report that

the response has been overwhelming. Two bank accounts were

opened to facilitate the contribution of cash donations. One

account is local while the other is a foreign denominated

account. The status of donations for the two accounts so far

are as follows: -

Sr.Currency Amount Equivalent MK

1 Local MK 85, 267,00.00

2 Foreign US$20,000.00 9,400,000.00

JP Yen1,200,000.00 4,915,000.00

Grand

Total

MK 99,582, 00.00

23


24/26

The cash donated so far has been used to purchase jet fuel for

MDF helicopters as well as procurement of blankets, cooking

oil, maize flour, sugar, kapenta, laundry soap, soya pieces and

media and publications as indicated in the table below.

EXPENDITURE MADE AS AT 29TH JANUARY, 2015

ITEM AMOUNT

Fuel (Jet fuel, Diesel, Petrol) 12,700,000.00Blankets 20,000,000.00

Maize Flour 30,000,000.00

Soya Pieces 15,000,000.00

Kapenta 8,000,000.00

Salt 3,500,000.00

Sugar 4,000,000.00

Cooking Oil 6,000,000.00

Laundry Soap 6,000,000.00

Media and Publications 1,000,000.00

Total Expenditure 96,200,000.00

Balance 3,382,000.00

24


25/26

Donations in kind have also been overwhelming from the

corporate world, individuals, churches and foreign

Governments. All donations are being publicly acknowledged

through the print and electronic media. Let me take this

opportunity, therefore, to thank all those who have responded

to the appeal by His Excellency the President to make the

donations. Donations in kind are, however, very much

encouraged because they are taken to the beneficiaries

immediately after reception. A list of donations received so far

is available.

I would also like to thank all people who continue to work

tirelessly within Government Ministries and Departments, the

NGO Sector, our cooperating partners and many unsung

heroes who volunteered their services in the communities

affected who have made a significant contribution to ensure

that we are where we are today with our response to the

disaster.

As we conclude the response phase, Government shall soon be

focusing on the recovery phase to work into issues of restoring

the livelihoods of the affected persons and rebuilding of the

25


26/26

damaged infrastructure and negotiations with our cooperating

partners have already started.

Finally, Mr. Speaker, Sir, since we are still in the midst of the

rainy season, let us therefore, encourage people still living in

flood prone areas to move to higher ground as the possibility of

another wave of flooding still remains high.

I thank you for your attention.

Documents

Parliamentary Statement on Disaster 02 February 2015