President Dr. Lazarus Chakwera has declared a state of disaster in 23 districts of Malawi due to the impacts of El Niño, hunger, and floods. The declaration was made during a Presidential National Address at Kamuzu Palace in Lilongwe.
Chakwera emphasized that 2 million households have been affected by the dry spell, leading to food insecurity, and over 600,000 metric tonnes of maize are required to address the situation, costing K357.6 billion. Urging unity, Chakwera called on Malawians to set aside political differences and support those affected by making donations to the Presidential Initiative to stop hunger, coordinated through the Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DoDMA).
Additionally, he addressed the floods in Karonga and Nkhotakota, which have caused loss of life, property damage, and displacement, affecting 17,033 households. The affected districts include Nsanje, Chikwawa, Blantyre, Thyolo, Mulanje, Phalombe, Chiradzulu, Zomba, Machinga, Mangochi, Balaka, Mwanza, Neno, Lilongwe, Mchinji, Ntcheu, Salima, Dowa, Dedza, Ntchisi, Kasungu, Nkhotakota, and Karonga.
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