By Pemphero Malimba:
Malawi continues to mobilise resources aimed at preparing for the anticipated Super El Niño, The Daily Times has learned.
The government recently revealed that it was facing a K324.8 billion funding gap as it had mobilised K163.7 billion out of the budgeted K488.5 billion, as per the National El Niño Preparedness Plan.
Department of Disaster Management Affairs (Dodma) spokesperson Lucy Bandazi told The Daily Times, in response to a questionnaire, that not enough had been mobilised for sectors such as health, water, sanitation and energy.
Bandazi was quick to say stakeholders’ response had been encouraging, especially in the food security sector, where the largest share funding has been directed to.
“At the same time, the overall picture is uneven, with clusters such as health, nutrition, energy, and water and sanitation receiving very little support,” Bandazi said.
She however said the government was continuing to engage partners for the support.
“Continued engagement and collaboration give confidence that these gaps can be addressed to strengthen Malawi’s preparedness,” Bandazi said.
“A detailed update will be shared with the public once all contributions have been fully consolidated,” she added.
Food and Agriculture Organisations Representative in Malawi Ali Said Yesuf told The Daily Times in a recent interview that Malawi needed to act early to mitigate the effects of El Niño conditions.