Nsanje not making progress in reducing disaster risks

Stakeholders working on reducing disaster-related risks in Nsanje have conceded they are not making progress in reducing disaster risks.

The Shire Valley, which also encompasses Chikhwawa District, is considered to be one of the disaster-prone areas in the country.

Speaking on the sidelines of an open day on Disaster Risk Reduction in the area of Traditional Authority Mbenje in Nsanje Friday, Malawi Red Cross Society district project officer, Augustine Tonde noted that a lot is being done to address disaster issues in the district.

Tonde said most stakeholders in the district worked in isolation, resulting in failure to attain desirable output on disaster risk.

“The district is not making strides in reducing disaster risks as expected. Stakeholders working in the same projects or areas do not coordinate as most of us work in isolation,” he said.

He called on all stakeholders to pool their resources and implement projects as a team if the district was to make progress in disaster risk reduction.

Nsanje district commissioner Harry Phiri echoed Tonde’s sentiments, saying it is high time stakeholders went back to the drawing board and mobilised resources to achieve meaningful impact.

—Reporting by Martin Chiwanda, Malawi News Agency