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Malawi: Facing Disaster
Source: European Commission Humanitarian Aid department (ECHO)
Daniel Dickinson
Website: http://ec.europa.eu/echo
Reuters and AlertNet are not responsible for the content of this article or for any external internet sites. The views expressed are the author's alone.
The intensity and frequency of natural disasters in Southern Africa is on the increase as a combination of factors is appearing to change traditional weather patterns across the region. The international Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark in December will look at the often disastrous affects of climate change on some of the poorest parts of the world. Meanwhile, international relief agencies and donors are looking at ways of reducing the impact of these natural disasters on local populations. Borja Cuervo is a disaster risk reduction specialist working for the European Commission's Humanitarian Aid department (ECHO).
In Malawi, communities have been staging dramas to teach people how best to respond to a natural catastrophe.
[Photo: Daniel Dickinson, European Commission Humanitarian Aid department]
Question: Why is disaster risk reduction needed?
Borja Cuervo: The aim of disaster risk reduction programmes in Southern Africa is to prepare communities to build their resilience to and deal with the increasing likelihood of localised natural disasters. When a catastrophe strikes, people need to know how to respond in order to reduce the risk to themselves and their property. The most critical period after a disaster strikes is the first 72 hours as this is when most loss of life and property occurs. Generally international relief agencies do not reach the areas affected during this decisive time, so it's crucial that communities know how to respond.
Q: Where is support most needed?
BC: The European Commission's Humanitarian Aid department funds a 5 million euros (US$7.5m) disaster risk reduction programme in Southern Africa called DIPECHO which covers Malawi, Madagascar, Mozambique and Comoros. In Malawi, Mozambique and Madagascar it is mainly focused on flooding and cyclones whilst in Comoros the main danger is the eruption of the active Karthala volcano. The flood and cyclone season in the region is from December to May, with the peak in the first three months of the year, so communities supported by ECHO are now busy preparing to deal with the possible affects.
Q: What sort of preparations can they make?
BC: There are a wide range of different activities that communities are involved in. Raising awareness of the dangers of floods, cyclones or volcanic eruptions is a key focus as is the training of people to respond to a disaster. I have just been in southern Malawi where our partner on the ground, the NGO COOPI, has worked with the people of Kasache village close to Lake Malawi, training them to carry out evacuation exercises in the case of a flood. This community-led response could save lives. They are also planting grasses on river banks to hold back flood waters, as well as managing a new concrete grain silo which will protect the stock of seeds and enable farmers to plant again if their crops are destroyed by a flood. This is all managed by a group of community volunteers as part of a local risk management committee, supported by the civil protection body of the Government of Malawi.
Q: Why is this work happening now?
BC: The DIPECHO programme began in Southern Africa in 2008, drawing on ECHO's experience of running similar programmes in other regions such as South East Asia and Central America. It is needed now as the frequency and intensity of natural disasters in this region has increased dramatically over recent years. In the past flooding and cyclones used to happen every five years with particularly large ones every 15 years. Now the frequency is every year with major catastrophes happening every 3-5 years.
Q: What is behind the increase in these natural disasters?
BC: It is a complicated mix of local factors and an alteration of regional weather conditions, which many people have put down to climate change. For example, research has shown that irregular rainfall has been linked to an increase in the temperature of the Indian Ocean which is leading to more frequent and more violent cyclones, which in turn often leads to increased flooding. Local factors also play a part. In Malawi, deforestation and erosion in highland areas means that when it rains little of the water is absorbed and retained by the earth; the rainwater carries sand and earth to the river beds, blocking them downstream, so waters overflow and flash floods occur which sweep across villages like Kasache.
In Malawi, communities have been staging dramas to teach people how best to respond to a natural catastrophe.
[Photo: Daniel Dickinson, European Commission Humanitarian Aid department]
Question: Why is disaster risk reduction needed?
Borja Cuervo: The aim of disaster risk reduction programmes in Southern Africa is to prepare communities to build their resilience to and deal with the increasing likelihood of localised natural disasters. When a catastrophe strikes, people need to know how to respond in order to reduce the risk to themselves and their property. The most critical period after a disaster strikes is the first 72 hours as this is when most loss of life and property occurs. Generally international relief agencies do not reach the areas affected during this decisive time, so it's crucial that communities know how to respond.
Q: Where is support most needed?
BC: The European Commission's Humanitarian Aid department funds a 5 million euros (US$7.5m) disaster risk reduction programme in Southern Africa called DIPECHO which covers Malawi, Madagascar, Mozambique and Comoros. In Malawi, Mozambique and Madagascar it is mainly focused on flooding and cyclones whilst in Comoros the main danger is the eruption of the active Karthala volcano. The flood and cyclone season in the region is from December to May, with the peak in the first three months of the year, so communities supported by ECHO are now busy preparing to deal with the possible affects.
Q: What sort of preparations can they make?
BC: There are a wide range of different activities that communities are involved in. Raising awareness of the dangers of floods, cyclones or volcanic eruptions is a key focus as is the training of people to respond to a disaster. I have just been in southern Malawi where our partner on the ground, the NGO COOPI, has worked with the people of Kasache village close to Lake Malawi, training them to carry out evacuation exercises in the case of a flood. This community-led response could save lives. They are also planting grasses on river banks to hold back flood waters, as well as managing a new concrete grain silo which will protect the stock of seeds and enable farmers to plant again if their crops are destroyed by a flood. This is all managed by a group of community volunteers as part of a local risk management committee, supported by the civil protection body of the Government of Malawi.
Q: Why is this work happening now?
BC: The DIPECHO programme began in Southern Africa in 2008, drawing on ECHO's experience of running similar programmes in other regions such as South East Asia and Central America. It is needed now as the frequency and intensity of natural disasters in this region has increased dramatically over recent years. In the past flooding and cyclones used to happen every five years with particularly large ones every 15 years. Now the frequency is every year with major catastrophes happening every 3-5 years.
Q: What is behind the increase in these natural disasters?
BC: It is a complicated mix of local factors and an alteration of regional weather conditions, which many people have put down to climate change. For example, research has shown that irregular rainfall has been linked to an increase in the temperature of the Indian Ocean which is leading to more frequent and more violent cyclones, which in turn often leads to increased flooding. Local factors also play a part. In Malawi, deforestation and erosion in highland areas means that when it rains little of the water is absorbed and retained by the earth; the rainwater carries sand and earth to the river beds, blocking them downstream, so waters overflow and flash floods occur which sweep across villages like Kasache.
