WMI responds to flooding in Karonga, Malawi
In late March, the Karonga District in Northern Malawi was struck with devastating disaster floods, severely impacting thousands of residences. Once help was requested, our international headquarters, in tandem with the Water Missions International Malawi country program assessed the situation for the most effective way to provide safe water relief for flood victims.
In partnership with UNICEF, we mobilized two safe water treatment solutions on Sunday, May 5 that will pump more than 10,000 gallons of safe water per day for the Mzinga Primary School and Kaporo communities, providing relief and hope to more than 4,000 villagers.From our field report:
The Head teacher Mzinga Primary School, Bentry Mwangofi, described the flood incident as one of the most terrible experiences he has ever seen happen to human life. “The event occurred during night time when everybody was asleep. Standard eight pupils are usually accommodated in some classrooms after studying in preparation for national examinations. During the floods, water gushed into houses including where pupils were sleeping. It was difficult to rescue each other let alone the pupils being at night. By the grace of God no one was injured,” Bentry Mwangofi narrated.
Water and sanitation are the critical issues that the floods brought about in the area. The Head teacher reported that in the morning following the floods disaster, the community realized that water levels forced rubbish from toilets floating all over, entering the drinking water sources. The community was at risk of getting water-related illnesses. Fortunately, the Government of Malawi through the Ministry of Health and other stakeholders came in quickly with chlorine distribution to treat drinking water at point of use.The head teacher said that the community members and students are still in danger as many households have run short of the chemical. Collapsed toilets have also encouraged open defecation, further contaminating water sources.
The provision of water treatment system in the area has attracted wide attention. Mr. Mwangofi is very thankful to Water Missions International for providing safe water for the area.
After speaking to Mr. Mwangofi, members of our Malawi country program staff spoke the village's chief, Mr. Mweningolongo.The Chief appreciated the provision of safe water in the area. The entire village is anticipating the provision of safe water by Water Missions International; hence water born diseases shall no longer be an issue. The water system will not only assist to supply safe and treated water to pupils and teachers at school, but also surrounding communities.
These solutions feature the same technology used in our long-term development projects and have an anticipated service life of 20 years. Both communities may request that the disaster relief projects transition into permanent Water Missions International community development initiatives that will benefit surrounding communities. We hope that the provision of safe drinking water will save lives, prevent disease, and enable a quick recovery and healthier tomorrows for these affected communities. If you would like to contribute to WMI’s mission to provide disaster relief around the world, please donate today. Together, we can provide relief in times of great need.
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