Malawi needs K215bn to recover from floods
Malawi’s Post-Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) report shows that the country will need about K215 billion ($494 million) to fully recover and reconstruct from the damage caused by the January 2015 floods.
Officially launched by President Peter Mutharika in Lilongwe on Thursday, the report puts total damage and losses from the disaster at K146 billion (US$324.4 million) and quantifies the economic impact at K15.9 billion (US$35.3 million) or 0.6 percent of the country’s total wealth as measured by gross domestic product (GDP).
Floods hit Malawi in January 2015, affecting 1.1 million people, displacing 230 000 and killing 106 people in the process in 15 of the country’s 28 districts.
The extensive damage to life and property prompted the President to declare a State of Disaster, appealing for relief assistance from local and international well-wishers.
Following the damage, government requested the World Bank for support to conduct a comprehensive PDNA between February 18 and March 7 2015 in collaboration with the European Union (EU) and the United Nations (UN).
Speaking during the launch of the report, Mutharika observed that the floods caused substantial damage and losses.
“Restoring these services and assets will not be easy,” said the President, who was flanked by Vice-President Saulos Chilima.
The President appealed to development partners to support government during this recovery and reconstruction phase.
Mutharika said the number of lives that were lost during the January floods entails the need for Malawi, as a country, to invest more in early warning systems.
On his part, World Bank acting country manager Richard Record said the report calls for critical rethinking and redirection Malawi’s efforts towards prioritising and integrating disaster risk reduction and management into national sustainable development planning and programming.
And in her remarks, visiting United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) administrator Helen Clark urged Malawi to ensure long-term investment in sustainable natural resource and watershed management system to minimise effects of future flooding and recurrent dry-spells.
On February 4, Cabinet approved the National Disaster Risk Management Policy, whose vision is to have a nation that is resilient to disasters.
Earlier this month, the World Bank approved a K36 billion (about $80 million) financing agreement towards Malawi Floods Emergency Recovery Project to help people who lost their livelihood to work and get farm inputs to revamp their lives, among others.
