Malawi holds Disaster Risk Management Symposium

By George Mhango

BLANTYRE-(MaraviPost)-As Malawi is grappling with significant socio-economic challenges exacerbated by frequent climate-related shocks, a three-day symposium to do with Malawi Resilience and Disaster Risk Management Project dubbed Disaster Risk Management is on this week in Blantyre.

The Malawi Government and World Bank have teamed up to have the symposium held amid news that Lilongwe has, in the recent years, faced various natural hazards, including flooding, droughts, cyclones, and landslides, which undermine development progress and contribute to macroeconomic instability.

These shocks include devastating floods in 2015 and a significant drought in 2016 linked to a major El Niño event, resulting in estimated annual losses of $500 million—approximately a 1.7% reduction in GDP.

For example, in 2023, Tropical Cyclone Freddy affected over 2.5 million people, causing over 600 fatalities, economic damage estimated at $506.7 million and substantial agricultural losses.

A released brochure about the symposium says the Shire River Basin (SRB), in Southern Malawi, has been the most affected in the country.

The effects have been compounded by demographic pressures and widespread poverty, with over half a million residents vulnerable to droughts and floods.

“Addressing these interconnected issues requires a concerted effort to enhance climate resilience, improve resource management, and foster inclusive economic growth.

“The Disaster Risk Management Act (2023) presents opportunities for integrated approaches to disaster response, transitioning away from reactive disaster response to proactive preparedness and risk reduction, and sustainable recovery, crucial for supporting Malawi’s future resilience against climate change,” it says.

Random interviews by some of the invited participants show that the symposium serves as a platform for in-depth discussions on the results of the analytical works and technical assistance conducted under MRDRMP and related initiatives.

“The overall objective of the symposium is to harness a symbiotic stakeholder relationship that promotes resilience building while building back better for the investments that have been ravaged by various shocks,” according to some government officials from the Ministry of Water and Sanitation, including Department of Disaster and Management Affairs-DoDMA.

Initially, the symposium will further present the findings and implications of the research to stakeholders, emphasizing the relevance to current and future resilience strategies.

It will also facilitate the discussions to formulate actionable recommendations that can inform the planning and implementation of (RCRP2) and to foster collaboration among participants to enhance local and regional capacity in disaster risk management and resilience planning.

Based on the brochure of the symposium, by the end of the session, the sides will come up with agreed means of maintaining an open and honest communication platform aimed at making sure that in implementing various interventions issues of disaster risk management are mainstreamed.

So far, research has shown that the project has made significant progress in enhancing resilience of rural agricultural communities to climate-related risks through the rehabilitation and construction of irrigation schemes leading to increased agricultural production.

To date, the project has improved about 1,900 hectares of irrigation land supporting 6,700 farming households. The project has substantially completed rehabilitation and construction of eight out of nine Cyclone Anna damaged irrigation schemes.

The completed schemes include Ulande in Neno, Utale and Khwisa in Balaka, Kamwaza in Machinga, Lisungwi in Ntcheu, and Phandilo, Ndundumana and Nkhawazatha in Zomba.

The construction of the 250 hectare solar powered Nkawinda Irrigation Scheme has faced delays primarily due to the Bank’s slow clearance of safeguard instruments and challenges related to waterlogging at the intake, solar farm and pump-house sites along the Shire River.

Therefore, the meeting, according to the statement, will involve presentations on various studies that have been carried in the course of project implementation and others that have been implemented by partners aimed to strengthen resilience in the country; panel discussions as well plenary discussions on critical DRM and resilience aspects.

The symposium is expected to attract experts and directors from city councils, international organisations, development partners, and representatives from the World Bank, considering that over the past decade, Malawi has endured severe climatic shocks.