Weeks after flooding first struck in Malawi, the outlook is looking extremely poor for the south east African nation.
Floods in Malawi have devastated important cash crops such as tobacco, tea and maize, economists have warned government against an impending financial crash.
With 174,000 people displaced and in dire need of food supplies, aid and relief agencies are saying that Malawi could soon be facing a humanitarian catastrophe. UNOCHA say that:
$8.4 million is still needed to meet nutritional needs of flood-affected population
$3.4 million still needed to cover health requirements
$2.3 million still needed to meet Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) requirements
On 21 January 2015, the Vice-President of Malawi announced the launch of a Preliminary Response Plan budgeted at a cost of US$81 million. At present, 21% has been funded.
Facts and Figures So Far
79 deaths
153 missing
174,000 displaced
Hundred of relief camps set up, including 181 schools
638,000 affected in 15 districts
Low lying areas along the Shire and Ruo rivers badly affected
63,531 hectares flooded
Government and relief agencies are still carrying out assessments of the affected areas. These figures are likely to change once fuller assessments have been completed.
Risk of Further Flooding
More heavy rains could affect several areas of Malawi over the next 24 hours, increasing the risk of further flooding. This is expected to include southern parts of the country, which are already the worst affected. The ground is still saturated in many parts of the south.
Map of the Affected Areas
Image taken from OCHA Humanitarian Situation Report (pdf) here
