For the hundreds of Malawians who have been forced to flee their homes by Cyclone Freddy, which has killed more than 500 people in the nation, Malawi President Lazarus Chakwera is pleading for greater humanitarian aid.
On Wednesday, Chakwera presented a report on the effects of the storm, which also impacted Mozambique, to the Malawian parliament and made the urgent appeal.
He claimed that even though the nation is receiving a lot of regional and international relief for the victims, additional aid is required.
“So many people have reacted favourably to our request, and I personally committed to thanking everyone who has contributed since the situation is so dire that we simply cannot take any help for granted, “He said legislators. “But compared to the size of the need, the supplies we are deploying are insufficient.
More than 500,000 people have been displaced, according to Malawi’s Disaster Management Affairs Agency, and are now residing in 534 camps.
In order to confront the destruction brought on by the tremendous storm, Chakwera urged the parliamentarians to put aside their political disagreements.
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“This is among the most difficult times in the history of our country, “he stated. “And we all need to roll up our sleeves and get to work if we want to survive this dark hour and welcome the joy of a brand-new dawn in the future. We need to act right away to ensure Malawians have a better tomorrow if we want to witness the dawn of a new day again.
According to Chakwera, the government would shortly adopt legislation to assist protect citizens from natural catastrophes.
The head of the opposition political parties in the Malawian parliament, Kondwani Nankhumwa, praised the idea of passing legislation for disaster management and underlined that, in order to prevent the spread of illness, the government must address sanitary problems in evacuation camps.
Our water supplies have run out, boreholes have been washed out, taps have been washed out, “said Nankhumwa. “Permit me to make a request that the government investigate this with other stakeholders because if we continue to let these people drink unprotected water from unprotected wells, there will be an outbreak of other diseases in the camp.
Cyclone Freddy struck Malawi during one of the deadliest cholera outbreaks in the country’s recent 20-year history, which has claimed at least 1,600 lives.
Last week, the Malawian Ministry of Health issued a warning that the danger of the spread of other infectious illnesses, such typhoid and dysentery, has increased due to the storm.
