Malawi: The Malawi Red Cross Society (MRCS) has commissioned four motorised inflatable boats in Chikwawa and Nsanje districts. The Non-governmental organization has taken this step in order to prepare for disasters in advance.
The preparedness can help the administration save more lives and contain the spread of destruction and devastation.
Speaking during the commissioning of the boats in Nsanje, MRCS President, Innocent Majiya, said experience has proven that pre-positioning food and non-food materials enhances the saving of lives and property during any disastrous situation.
The officials have shared that the country may be under the threat of riverine floods in the country. The disasters may result in loss of life and property if corrective measures were not taken in time.
“These boats can be used in rivers and also during flash floods, on top of that we have also pre-positioned other relief materials in strategic places,” said Majiya.
In his remarks, the director of preparedness and response in the Department of Disasters and Management Affairs (DoDMA), Moses Chimphepo, commended the organisation for the support.
“This is timely, I am advising people who will be using these boats to take good care of them,” said Chimphepo
According to Chimphepo, the boats cost about K108 million, and they have been procured, among others, with monetary support from the Malawi Government and the Danish Red Cross. The people of Malawi appreciated the authorities for taking the initiative to prevent any tragic incidents.
The Malawi Red Cross Society has been supporting the government in many initiatives aimed towards public betterment. Previously, the MRCS supported the government in their Measles Week initiative.
The Ministry of Health hasd taken the initiative to spread awareness about the spread and containment of Measles in the country. The administration targeted the Lilongwe District in their campaign as the outbreak of the disease had emerged in the district in November 2023.