Evacuation centre opens in Salima
Secretary and Commissioner for Department of Disaster Management Affairs (Dodma) Wilson Mollen said an evacuation centre which the Government of China and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have constructed in Salima will help in times of disaster.
He said Salima is one of the disaster-prone districts.
Vice-President Everton Chimulirenji, who officially opened the centre on Friday, advised people in the area to avoid practices that aggravate disasters such as floods.
“Floods are a natural occurrence, but sometimes they are induced by human activities. Let us be responsible and safeguard ourselves,” he said.
Senior Chief Khombedza of the district said chiefs and government officials panic when disasters strike due to lack of temporary structures where affected families can be kept.
“The problem of floods has become part of us. The situation was worse in 2015/16 season when over 50 houses were destroyed and we had nowhere to keep the families,” he said.
UNDP resident representative Shikegi Komatsubara and Chinese Ambassador Liu Hongyang pledged to continue supporting Malawi in various sectors. Dodma also provided bags of rice to be distributed to people who were affected by floods.
