By Innocent Chunga

Nkhotakota, March 6, Mana: Nkhotakota District Council has hailed provision of relief items from the Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DoDMA), Embassy of Iceland, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and other development partners for   supporting the recently affected flash flood survivors in the district.

In an interview with Malawi News Agency (MANA) on Tuesday, Spokesperson for the Council, Wongani Mkandawire, said people who are living in the twelve camps in the areas of Senior Chief Kanyenda, Mphonde and Traditional Authority (TA) Malengachanzi are receiving relief items.

He said DoDMA, Embassy of Iceland, Ethanol, Illovo Sugar, and other local and international development partners have supported the survivors through the Council.

"Our local partners and organizations, including international partners such as the World Health Organization (WHO), are still assisting us in many ways,” said Mkandawire.

WHO has provided essential drugs to carter for the affected people for three months and the Embassy of Iceland has made available K14 million for the purchase of various relief items.

He expressed concern that the current condition of the M5 Road at Kaombe and Dwangwa has impacted on service delivery making transportation of relief supplies difficult and hindering the movement of emergency response teams, among others.

Mkandawire, said the flood disaster continues to impact the affected areas despite reduction in water levels in some areas, but said efforts to mitigate the situation and provide aid in the affected communities are ongoing.

"Improvement in weather conditions has allowed rescue and relief teams to access previously inaccessible areas and providing assistance to those in need," he added.

Mkandawire emphasized that Malawi Defense Force (MDF) are working tirelessly to locate and save individuals stranded particularly in Dwangwa.

According to DoDMA, the recent floods have affected over 14,000 people; displaced about 8,000 and claimed six lives at Dwangwa in Senior Chief Kanyenda in the district.