18 ADVERTISINGTHE NATIONTUESDAY mArch 10 2015
1.0 IntroductionThe Catholic Development Commission in Malawi
(CADECOM), which is the relief and development arm of the Episcopal
Conference of Malawi (ECM), is grieved by the flooding disaster,
which has hit Malawi since the onset of the first rains. Thousands
of people have been displaced and rendered homeless, houses and
crops destroyed and many people injured. Even more alarming is the
death toll. Over 106 people have been reported dead and hundred
others still missing with no hope of being found alive. About 15
districts, including Karonga, Rumphi, Zomba, Machinga, Mangochi,
Salima, Mulanje, Phalombe, Chikwawa, Nsanje, Blantyre, Dedza and
Ntcheu have been affected due to continuous and heavy downpour of
rains.
On 13th January 2015, the State President of the Republic of
Malawi declared Malawi a state of disaster. We, at CADECOM, join
other patriotic Malawians in commending the State President for
declaring the current flooding a National Disaster. The Office of
the President has worked tirelessly in responding to the displaced
and affected population. The urgency under which the disaster issue
was treated is commendable. This is about human life. It is about
human dignity. It is about human rights.We also commend the
Catholic Bishops in Malawi who in the spirit of solidarity to the
affected families called upon the Catholic faithful and all people
of good will to join hands and contribute generously. Saddened by
the tragic consequences of the disaster, the Bishops set aside
Sunday 8th February 2015, as a special day for collections towards
this noble cause.
Further to this, the Bishops dedicated all collections for the
AMECEA Thanks giving Mass on 31st January, 2015 towards the support
of the flood victims.
We, at CADECOM, are deeply concerned, as an institution, which
works mainly with the rural communities, that the most affected are
the poor Malawians, some of whom were already struggling to meet
their basic needs. While we struggle together to respond to the
disaster which has befallen us, we join the State President in
calling upon the general public, the donor agencies and our
international development partners to spare whatever we can to
support our brothers and sisters who are trapped in this
catastrophic condition. The nation has a huge task of supporting
those displaced and affected so that they can resume their normal
life. The state, non-governmental organizations, the donor
community and individuals of good will need to put together their
efforts towards recovery. The magnitude of this disaster shock to
the livelihoods of the affected communities is huge; it requires
integrated and multifaceted interventions to come back to normal
life.
While it is good news to hear and see some NGOs already planning
for mid and long term recovery programs, we at CADECOM, still feel
there is need for more resources to support our brothers and
sisters to live a dignified life. We still have people in camps,
where they live without basic human entitlements; this is not where
they belong. The displaced and affected cannot live their life to
the full, as per Our Lords call: I have come so that they may have
life and have it to the full (John 10:10). We need to think and
plan seriously how to get the flood victims settled in life again.
Hence, we plan to prevent such disasters in the future. Floods
become a disaster when in contact with human beings. This is
everyones responsibility; including those affected since it is in
them we have some capacities, skills, resources that may be
utilized to recover from this livelihood shock.
2.0 Lessons from the Current Flooding Disaster to MalawiansWe,
at CADECOM appreciate the solidarity and empathy of our neighbours
who cry: Our hearts are heavy that Malawians continue to die in the
wake of devastating floods that are sweeping lives, individual
properties and public infrastructure across the country. This is a
crisis that was waiting to happen; an emergency that should have
been well prepared of. This is about peoples lives. It is about our
national economy and the future of Malawi.
As we mourn the loss of lives, we further imagine the loss of
property and the resources that have been used in responding to
this disaster. We are delighted that finally the Disaster Risk
Management Policy has been approved. In the context of climate
change if disaster risk management is not given due priority, it
can easily wash away all the development gains within a second.
This is only one of many disasters we are sure to experience and
which will prevent any significant progress or development in
Malawi if preparedness measures are not strengthened at all levels.
We need to be proactive in disaster preparedness. Studies indicate
that the resources we use in reactive response are 7 times more, as
we would have used if we had invested in disaster preparedness. The
figures that have gone into humanitarian response to the flooding
disaster are alarming. The ECM through its partners and the Church
Structures, alone has managed to raise close to MK1 billion just
for short-term sustenance of human life. If these resources were
channeled towards long-term development the impact would have been
great.
The effects of reactive response to disaster have been
self-evident. We feel if we were well prepared some of the
resources we have used would have been saved. However, this is all
water under the bridge, for now we have some areas needing our
attention, and some of them are:
2.1 Need for Harmonization of Resilient building policies. We,
at CADECOM, and other stakeholders working in Disaster Risk
Reduction, are pleased with
the government commitment towards Disaster Risk Management. The
approval of the DRM Policy is a mark of political will. With the
DRM Policy in place, we call upon the government
to facilitate approval of the Climate Change Policy and
facilitate the formulation of National Agriculture Policy. Their
approval and implementation would greatly contribute to building a
resilient Malawi to climatic and disaster related livelihood
shocks. It is ironic that we are agro-based economy yet we have no
National Agriculture Policy.
2.2 Need for Separate Budget Vote for DRM Efficient and
appropriate financial allocation to disaster risk management is a
key factor in
disaster preparedness. That National Disaster Risk Management
measures have not found their way into national budgetary framework
worries us; they rely heavily on external assistance, mostly
implemented by civil societies. It is our call that in the
2015/2016 financial year the government categorically allocates
resources towards disaster risk management.
2.3 Need for Increased Public Understanding of Disaster Risk
Management The current flooding disaster is a wakeup call from our
slumber; an opportunity for the
government to make a public statement on disaster preparedness.
Floods are a mere human hazard; they become a disaster when in
contact with human beings and their associated activities. We need
to raise public awareness on disaster risk management, as we have
done with HIV and AIDS. We need to raise public awareness on the
need to adapt more to our changing environment. We need to let the
public understand what disaster risk management entails and its
linkage with climate change adaptation. The government needs to
commit to making DRM a cross cutting issue in all departments and
to make sure DRM activities are adequately financed.
2.4 Need to Decentralize DRM activities and Capacitate District
Councils With District Councils being the first recipients of
disaster reports; we wish each council had
requisite response equipment in case of any disaster. On this we
feel the devolution plan that DoDMA has developed get financed in
the next financial year. We need to have fully fledged and
capacitated District DRM offices with first response equipment. We
aspire district councils that can take immediate response to
disaster before Capital Hill intervenes. The district contingency
plans need to be financed.
2.5 Need to Strengthen and take seriously Early Warning Systems
While different stakeholders, including CADECOM, have developed and
documented various
early warning systems, indigenous as well as scientific, there
is need for political will to popularize and utilize the same. The
government structure is well placed to enhance effective
communication of the same through all its decentralized offices
localized countrywide.
2.6 Need to Reflect Seriously on our Overdependence on Rain Fed
Agriculture
3.0 ConclusionOnce again, we would like to commend the
government and the Bishops for taking steadfast measures and for
being responsive to the current disaster, which has left a dark
shadow on the nation. We are called to live in harmony with nature;
we are called to be Gods stewards. While we join the State
President in mourning with those who lost their loved ones and pray
for their souls to rest in eternal peace, we again call upon well
wishers from all quarters of life, national and international,
institutions and individuals to help in supporting the many
Malawians who are in dire need to regain their full life. We also
call upon policy makers to seriously review livelihood policies; we
are concerned with our overdependence on rain fed agriculture with
vast waters flowing freely into Zambezi river enroute to the Indian
Ocean. We wish the government made irrigation farming a priority
area if we are to join food secure nations, and even become the
regional food basket.
Inspired by the gospel values of Our Lord: For I was hungry and
you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me
something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I
needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after
me, I was in prison and you came to visit me (Math 25:35-36), we
would like to express our sincere gratitude to all our partners who
support us in emergency and relief (Trcaire, Catholic Relief
Services (CRS), Cordaid, Caritas Norway, CAFOD, Caritas Korea,
Caritas Australia, SCIAF, Oxfam and the World Food Program (WFP) of
the United Nations and other humanitarian partners we work
with).
Lastly, as we respond, let us keep reminding our policy makers
of the old adage muvioyanganirasuchedwakulowammaso! let us be
proactive for tomorrow! It is our hope that the next parliamentary
sitting will take some time to seriously reflect on this flooding
disaster and its associated impacts in view of the numerous
recommendations that CADECOM and other likeminded stakeholders have
made through various fora as far as resilient building policies and
acts are concerned.
Signed
Rev. Fr. E Chimombo Mr. Carsterns Mulume(Acting ECM Secretary
General) (CADECOM National Secretary)
THE CATHOLIC DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION IN MALAWI
PRESS RELEASEOn Current Flooding Disaster: A Call to Bring
Us
Out of Our Slumber
