By Innocent Chunga

Nkhotakota, June 6, Mana: Good Neighbors International Organization has donated relief items worth K166 million to 1,500 households affected by floods in the area of Senior Chief Kanyenda in Nkhotakota district.

Speaking Wednesday during the distribution exercise, Data Monitoring and Evaluation Manager for Good Neighbors, Wiseman Nkhoma, said they felt it was necessary to come in and support the survivors as one way of assisting government in times of disaster.

Nkhoma said they are hoping that the items will help overcome some of the survivors' challenges as they are waiting to rebuild their communities.

"We have supported various items including maize flour, mosquito nets, Likuni phala, cooking oil, soya pieces and salt as part of the organization's response to the devastating floods that happened here," said Nkhoma.                                           

Principal Disaster Preparedness Officer for the Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DoDMA), Edwin Zawanda, described the support as timely but asked for more support from various partners to assist those who are still in the camps in the district.

Nkhotakota District Council Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, John Manda, said the Council is engaging traditional leaders on the issue to decommission all camps in the district.

"We have three camps; Chikupweche, Mtupi and Katimbira. The council is still engaging traditional leaders and other stakeholders in order to find proper measures to decommission all the camps in the district," said Manda.

According to DoDMA, floods that occurred in February this year affected over 14,000 people, displaced about 10,000 and claimed eight lives in the area of Senior Chief Kanyenda in the district.