Rising above the floods in Malawi

Al-Jazeera.net, by Charles Mkoka in Lilongwe: From January through March every year, flood waters threaten the inhabitants of Malawi's Lower Shire valley with loss of life and property. In late February, six people died in the Chikwawa district in the valley. Some 16 villages were severely affected and over 10,000 displaced persons are being accommodated in five camps scattered across the district.

….Farmers in southern Africa say flooding is threatening their crops and livelihood In September 2007, climate scientists from southern Africa meeting in Lesotho's capital Maseru predicted that parts of the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) will experience above average rainfall putting all low lying areas in Malawi, Mozambique and Zambia in danger of severe flooding.

The seasonal forecasts generated through the Southern Africa Regional Climate Outlook Forum (SARCOF), a grouping of climate scientists from the entire southern Africa region, have become an important planning tool for disaster preparedness. Experts attribute the problem facing the Lower Shire to be climate-related.

They argue that deforestation and massive environmental degradation has resulted in reduced forest cover that protects the environment from direct rain drops, resulting in severe deep gullies being created. Alic Kafasalire, an expert on the environment who has spent years working in the field of natural resources management in Malawi, says deforestation is a major concern.

….In the wake of such developments, the Malawi government and the SADC regional water sector programme have signed an agreement to harness floodwater by way of irrigation, fish farming, livestock production and flood control.

The initiative will carry out a feasibility study towards the use of floodwater for dry-land agricultural production and increasing food security. These will possibly include the construction of a small-scale dam on the Mkuzi stream near Dzimphutsi to trap floodwater.

Through the support from the Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA), SADC's Water Division has initiated four other demonstration projects at a regional level. Four of these demonstration projects are in the Zambezi basin countries – Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia and Zambia…."The Dzimphutsi project - which is benefiting a population of approximately 6,000 people - primarily focuses on improving people's livelihoods through the integrated use of floodwater for crop production, animal husbandry, domestic use and environmental protection," says Sidney Mainala, the director of water resources in Malawi.

This is in line with the principles of integrated water resources management (IWRM), an approach for managing water resources that was endorsed by SADC member states including Malawi.

The initiative in Malawi is part of SADC's efforts to foster awareness to ensure that senior decision-makers in all sectors and the media are aware of key aspects of IWRM and its relevance to social and economic development in the SADC region. The idea is to change the mindset and encourage flood waters to be managed and put to good use.

Photo of Lengwe National Park in Malawi by Dr. Thomas Wagner, Wikimedia Commons