Phalombe gets lessons on dyke construction

Phalombe Disaster Risk and Management office will have an improved approach to dyke construction and management, courtesy of a learning visit Phalombe District Civil Protection Committee had in Salima.

In an interview, district relief and rehabilitation officer Florence Harawa said lessons from Salima would assist Phalombe in constructing and managing dykes better.

She said Phalombe also being a disaster prone district can learn a lot from Salima; hence, the visit.

Said Harawa: “We learnt that through earth dyke construction, our friends have been able to control floods that were disrupting settlements in Makanjira area.

“For the past eight years people have been able to reclaim their settlement.  In Phalombe we have a similar problem in some areas.”

She said Phalombe River overflows and displaces households in Traditional Authority Jenala and other places every year.

Harawa’s counterpart in Salima Humphrey Magalasi emphasised the need for community participation in construction and management of dykes.

“We have been able to control floods because community members take a leading role in managing the dyke,” he said.

Over the years a number of dykes have been constructed in Phalombe. However, most of them are not effectively managed, resulting in floods every year.