The Letter reads:
Your Excellency,
As you are aware, from 23rd to 25th January 2022 Southern Region districts received heavy rains which induced flooding including in Chikwawa and Nsanje.
The floods created three major problems as follows:
• Extensive damage to the Ml Road at a number of points between Thabwa Road block and Ngabu in Chikwawa rendering it impassable using vehicles.
• Destruction of houses and property of many people in Nsanje and Chikwawa as well as loss of life. The many people whose houses and property were destroyed and were displaced need urgent relief items.
• Escom infrastructure was destroyed therefore, from 25th January 2022 to date Nsanje has had no electricity.
Your Excellency, the damaged road has brought in the following challenges among others:
a) Serious disruption to provision of social services to citizens in Nsanje and Chikwawa including to those displaced who are in camps. The relief items urgently needed by the affected and displaced people are hardly reaching them to be rehabilitated and quickly get back to normal life. This is accelerating their frustration.
b) Referrals from Nsanje and Chikwawa district Hospitals to Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital cannot be done which may lead to untimely deaths.
c) medical supplies can hardly be made to the two district hospitals.
d) Nsanje ran out of fuel in its service stations a number of days ago which is making it difficult for many people to have flour for food through diesel maize mills as there is no electricity. People in offices cannot use gen sets in the absence of Escom electricity since there is no fuel thereby grinding most of the operations to a halt.
e) Escom can hardly transport their materials and equipment to Chikwawa and Nsanje to restore electricity quickly.
f) Travelling has become extremely hard.
g) Most basic commodities in Nsanje have been depleted which is leading to a lot of suffering to everybody even those who have not been directly affected by the floods. All these are frustrating people in Nsanje and Chikwawa as days go by.
Your Excellency, the unavailability of electricity in Nsanje from 25th January 2022 means there is shortage of potable water supplied by Southern Region Water Board which depends on electricity to be pumped. This is making everyone who depends on this water uncomfortable, and the work of hospital staff difficult even the life of patients and guardians.
The unavailability of electricity is affecting so many small-scale businesses people who depend on electricity to bring food on the table e.g., welders, maize mill owners, barber shop and saloon owners and those who sell water and drinks to make ends meet. This too is leaving everyone frustrated as days pass by without a quick solution.
Your Excellency, while we applaud you for the effort you have made to start rehabilitation of the Ml road, we ask you Sir, to intervene and ensure the road is swiftly maintained to ease the suffering of the many people of lower Shire and even avoid untimely deaths that may occur because some patients could not access specialized treatment due to the damaged road.
Yours faithfully
Nsanje CSO Chairperson,
