Kasungu, February 20: District Commissioner for Kasungu says disaster funds should devolve to districts if disasters are to be managed well.
Sphiwe Mauwa said Wednesday in Kasungu during the launch of Kasungu District Disaster Contingency Plan that most districts don’t have the capacity to prepare and respond to disasters as they do not have the funds.
“We have already established and trained civil protection committees at different levels for effective and implementation of disaster management, but still we lack funds as disaster funds have not yet devolved to councils a thing which makes the established structures not to function well,” said Mauwa.
She then said district council had already established a fund as part of the disaster Contingency Plan that would contain resources that will be used for disaster management.
District Disaster Desk Officer Stephen Sakhama said the just launched disaster Contingency Plan will ensure that disaster management affairs are well coordinated amongst stakeholders in the district.
“Kasungu District recognizes the impact of disasters on economic and social wellbeing of the people.”With the plan, we will be able to identify potential impacts of the disasters on humans, crops, infrastructures and service and then come up with actions to be taken at district level before, during and after the disaster, “said Sakhama.
Kasungu has for the past two and a half decades been hit by disasters that include hailstorms, drought, army worms and floods mostly in the areas around Bua, Rusa and Dwangwa Rivers.
The Disaster Contingency Plan has been developed under the Enhancing Community Resilience Project which is being implemented by Heifer International, Malawi Enterprise Zone Association (MALEZA), CADECOM and Care Malawi in Kasungu.
The project is supported by Irish Aid, UK aid and Norwegian Government.
