Environment

Rapid urbanisation risking people’s lives

Rapid urbanisation is leading to unplanned settlements
Rapid urbanisation is leading to unplanned settlements

President of Malawi Institute of Physical Planners (Mipp) Mtafu Zeleza Manda says lack of disaster risk reduction in city and town plans of Malawi is putting lives of dwellers in danger.

Manda made the remarks in Salima recently when he opened a five-day workshop for physical planners on mainstreaming climate change issues and disaster reduction in town planning.

He observed that at the speed of urbanisation in the country, it is high time planners ensured that town and city plans are disaster-proof.

“Over the past five years, more people both globally and locally, have migrated from rural to urban areas, where they tend to live in high risk areas,” said Manda

He explained that as a country, Malawi looks at disaster as something that happens in the rural areas, thereby not making any plans to deal with urban disasters.

He said lack of mechanisms to deal with urban disasters means the country cannot respond effectively to disasters, hence the need for physical planners to find ways of making town plans that respond to climate change challenges and effects.

Speaking in an interview, UN Habitat programme manager John Chome said rapid urbanisation has led people to settle in environmentally sensitive areas that are prone to disasters such as flash floods.

“High rate of urbanisation has seen more people living in urban areas where they are concentrated in slum and environmentally risk areas,” said Chome.

He concurred with Manda that planners need to have knowledge and skills to integrate issues of disaster in town planning.

“They need to come up with plans that are climate change and disaster-proof. With good planning, Malawi can reduce disasters or the impact of disaster,” said Chome.

The workshop was attended by registered physical planners from across the country and was supported by UN-Habitat.

According to Mipp, the country has only 30 qualified and registered physical planners.

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