Severe floods across southern Malawi have killed 79 people and left 153 missing
BLANTYRE, Malawi (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - The United Nations said on Friday humanitarian assistance to Malawi had fallen dramatically short of what was needed to help hundreds of thousands of survivors of catastrophic flooding.
Severe floods across southern Malawi have killed 79 people and left 153 missing, according to the Department of Disaster Management Affairs.
A team of three U.N. special rapporteurs said the southern African nation had only received a quarter of an estimated $81 million it requires to deal with the aftermath of the floods, which have forced more than 170,000 people from their homes.
"The flooding has displaced large numbers of people and presents massive and complex challenges for governments and their humanitarian allies," said UN Special Rapporteur Chaloka Beyani in a joint statement.
Heavy rains began in Malawi earlier this month, leading rivers to burst their banks and creating flash floods.
"Safe water, sanitation and hygiene must be provided urgently for the survival of those affected, prioritising the most vulnerable groups, but also for the prevention of water-related diseases such as cholera and malaria," said Léo Heller, special rapporteur on water and sanitation.
President Peter Mutharika said on Tuesday his country, one of the poorest in the world, would probably miss its economic growth forecast this year of 5.8 percent due to the floods. He said the floods washed away the country's staple crop, maize.
Tobacco industry officials have told Reuters that the floods have also affected production of the country's major export commodity, tobacco, currently in season.
The U.N. rapporteurs said in their statement the floods had also affected 240,000 people in Mozambique and Madagascar.
(Editing by Ros Russell)
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