Cabinet approves Malawi disaster policy

The Malawi cabinet has approved the National Disaster Risk Management Policy which will help in creating an enabling framework for the establishment of a comprehensive disaster risk management system for Malawi.

Chiunguzeni: Disaster policy approved
Chiunguzeni: Disaster policy approved

Principal Secretary for Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DoDMA) Paul Chiunguzeni has confirmed.

The policy, according to the February 4, DoDMA update on the flood situation, would guide stakeholders in implementing programmes and activities to effectively address disaster risks hence reducing the impact of disasters in the country.

Earlier on, when President Peter Mutharika visited flood victims in the Lower Shire Valley, noted that lack of the policy had been hampering governments efforts to permanently deal with flood related disasters.

He had noted that works to have the policy started in 1991 but were facing numerous challenges.

“This work was started in 1991 with the enactment of the Disaster Preparedness and Relief Act which provided the legal and institutional framework for disaster management in the country at national, district, area and village level. Because of this anomaly, we are still facing numerous challenges, in adopting a proactive and systematic approach to address disasters risks in the country,” said Mutharika.

According to Mutharika, the policy will help to sustainably reduce disaster losses in lives and in the social economic, environmental assets of individuals, communities and the nation.

With the absence of the policy, commentators have argued that government structures have not lived up to their responsibility of monitoring how and where people build their houses, where to farm and taking care of the environment in general the depletion of which has worsened the floods situation.

“As a nation, we should work to mitigate those effects now and also protect human activity upland. The policy will also help cohesion in the way relief efforts will be coordinated in future,” Chiunguzeni said.

Meanwhile, DoDMA has said it will launch and disseminate the policy soon.

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James
James
9 years ago

Look at how mountains are being turned into farmlands… my foot… govt watching or asleep. River banks bare forest all gone do.we need policy really tohandle basics

James
James
9 years ago

Ook at how mountains are being turmne into farmlands… my foot… govt watching or asleep. River banks bare forest all gone do.we need policy really tohandle basics

special advisor
special advisor
9 years ago

Think of road safety. Deterents are put in place from different angles: 1. Legal eg speed limit, cof, seat belts, etc 2. Structural e.g. physical barriers like speed humps, royndabout 3. Information eg sign post, highway code, etc Of all these legal comes first. You are fined for over speeding and wrecks of cars and dangerous driver are taken off the roads. Likewise, it should be illegal to engage in acts or behaviors that create high risk conditions for disaster e.g. smoking at the fuel pump. It should also be illegal for someone to engage in acts or behavior that… Read more »

BLESSINGS MLOWOKA-DRM SPECIALIST
BLESSINGS MLOWOKA-DRM SPECIALIST
9 years ago

First of all I would like to recommend the cabinet for approving the policy. Research has shown that Malawi is one of the countries who are good at producing good and decorative documents/ books but using them fullest is the biggest problem/challenge. I remember we had Vision 2020. It was good but where is it now? In the same vain we should not blame the absence of the DRM policy but ourselves again. We have sister policies and acts within the government policies but they are not enforced. Lets look at some instruments related to that but no enforcements 1.… Read more »

in the know
in the know
9 years ago

@ Mtonga an Act of Parliament and Policy are two different things but compliment each other. The 1991 Act should have been supported by a policy and it’s not correct to say that the Act came in as a result of some visionary leadership but rather came in in the aftermath of the Phalombe Disaster

Msangaambe Phiri
9 years ago

Those policies must be fully implimented not just saying we lacking policies to address these issues,yet you having something behind relating to Disaster gate.

Mtunga
9 years ago

The visionary MCP put that in place way back in 1991 but UDF under the tutalage of Bakili war was declared on Malawi environment. Tinkava tinyimbo tasamala hilengdwe nthawi ineneyo. Lero mwati mutinyenge ndi chala mumvekere Cabinet has adopted a policy – abale Malawi apanga adopt ma policy angati. Zachuluka ndi mbava kutsogolo kwa Malawi. Already there is one in place but the problem is that every new govt wants to come up with its new things oh my foot Apm.

Achimidzimidzi
Achimidzimidzi
9 years ago
Reply to  Mtunga

Is this topic worth discrediting you foes? After all what is MCP doing if not just wasting our time. People predicted that you be out of government for thirty years. May be about to finish that period of wondering in wilderness.

wanda
wanda
9 years ago

Its a pity that we wait till it is worse for us to approve such bills. Think about the Access to Information Bill that is gathering dust somewhere. Honorable members, please pass a bill on liquor ban. Save our youth from early death.

Achimidzimidzi
Achimidzimidzi
9 years ago

Guys do you really need a policy for preparedness? My foot!!! If I was a law maker or enforcer, I would have said ‘ No illegal settlements along flood prone areas or river banks and no cutting of trees in those areas’ The fact that you are preparing for disasters/ floods, it means people should continue settlements in wrong places. Will that policy work even if people don’t change their perception? Raise awareness of the effects of what people are doing. Next time it will be drought or contamination of lake Malawi or maybe earthquake and volcano. People can be… Read more »

Malindima
Malindima
9 years ago
Reply to  Achimidzimidzi

Seems you have no clue of what a policy is! In the absence of a policy, a strategy can not be implemented and in the absence of these, people respond haphazardly.

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