* To take stock of research done and recommendations made on Loss and Damage
* Generate key recommendations for setting up and operationalizing the Santiago Network on Loss and Damage
By Duncan Mlanjira
Over two weeks after the passage of Cyclone Freddy, whose effects devastated Malawi that claimed 511 lives; with at least 533 still missing; 1,724 injured and 564,239 people displace and living in 577 camps, Malawi’s Civil Society Network on Climate Change (CISONECC) will host the first African regional symposium on loss and damage from April 3-5.
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In collaboration with the Trocaire Malawi, the Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund (SCIAF), Christian Aid and the Pan-African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA), the symposium will provide a platform for African stakeholders and other global citizens to dialogue on and express their analysis on how to move Loss and Damage forward in the sphere of international solidarity.
A statement from CISONECC says the symposium is being organized to achieve the following objectives:
* Take stock of research done and recommendations made on Loss and Damage;
* Develop a common understanding on the extent of, and on appropriate methods for quantitatively and non-quantitatively assessing Loss and Damage; and
* Generate key recommendations for setting up and operationalizing the Loss and Damage Fund and the Santiago Network on Loss and Damage.
To be held at Bingu International Convention Centre — with keynote speaker as Minister of Natural Resources & Climate Change, Michael Usi — its themes are: ‘Loss and Damage Financing’; ‘Local and global mechanisms for addressing loss and damage’ and ‘Documentation and methodologies for capturing Loss and Damage’.
CISONECC is made up of diverse range of local and international non-governmental organizations and faith-based organisations, as well as networks and associations working in climate change and disaster risk management in Malawi.
These are autonomous organisations with aspirations related to climate change and DRM and have unified responsibility to contribute to the network’s objectives through collaborative efforts.
The role and activities of the civil society on climate change include advocacy, public awareness campaigns on impacts and effects of climate change, the impact of environmental degradation on global warming and subsequently climate change.
The government, the civil society and all stakeholders keep reiterating the public that the tropical storms, which keep hitting Malawi in recent times, is due to climate change exacerbated by the degradation of the environment through wanton cutting down of trees.
The symposium will certainly take stock of the effects that Cyclone Freddy has caused as two weeks after its passage, prices of maize have increased in multiple areas and many people do not have access to food due to damaged roads which have hampered supply.
A report by https://reliefweb.int/report/malawi/malawi-tropical-cyclone-freddy-flash-update-no-10-28-march-2023 indicates that protection risks and poor water, sanitation and hygiene remain a serious concern in all the displacement sites and that relocation of people from schools to displacement camps has started taking place in Blantyre, ahead of the reopening of schools.
Situations overview
Reliefweb.int says two weeks after the passage of the Tropical Cyclone Freddy weather system, satellite imagery and aerial views from drones show that water levels have not yet fully subsided in Nsanje and Chikwawa districts.
It quotes DoDMA that in Blantyre, Chikwawa and Nsanje districts, 53% of the sites hosting displaced people are schools, 8% are churches, and the remainder are other spaces, like community halls and open land.
Markets have been severely impacted, hampering people’s access to food and in Chikwawa District, the price of grain has skyrocketed in most council markets, with the current average price of maize per kilogramme ranging from K1,000 to K1,200 — which is unaffordable to the average farmer, according to preliminary needs assessment findings.
In both Mulanje and Phalombe districts, most households had their food stocks and crops washed away or submerged by flood water coupled with low food supplies in most local markets — and in some cases, completely unavailable.
Access to main markets is also still limited as most roads were damaged and due to lack of power, people are failing to mill the little maize they have into flour.
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As a result, communities are having to walk long distances to diesel-powered mills which do not have the capacity to handle the large number of customers, leading to frequent breakdowns and long queues to the extent that people sometimes sleep there.
Health concerns rising
This is especially among displaced people with lack of adequate water sanitation and hygiene. Cases of cholera and other diarrhoeal diseases have been reported in some displacement camps.
Soon after the disaster, the Presidential Taskforce on CoVID-19 and Cholera also emphasized that Tropical Cyclone Freddy has ultimately threatening sustainable development in Malawi and also increased the risk of some communicable diseases, such as cholera, dysentery, typhoid, diarrhoea and others.
It said diarrhoea diseases are mainly spread through faecal-oral route, hence poor water sanitation conditions play an important role in transmission, adding that the displacement of people not only increases the risk of poor water and sanitation but also poor personal hygiene and an increase in vector breeding sites.
As of Friday evening, the country recorded 109 new cases and two new deaths from Blantyre and Dedza — bringing fatalities at 1,717 and confirmed cases at 56,444. A total of 54,545 people have recovered and as of Friday, 182 were in treatment centres.
Since the onset of the outbreak in March last year, Lilongwe leads in most cases recorded at 12,257 with 548 deaths, followed by Mangochi (8,440/123); Blantyre (8,192/212); Balaka (4,286/102); Salima (3,3,570/99); Machinga (2,363/86); Dedza (2,055/80); Nkhata Bay (1,517/44); Nkhotakota (1,463/58); Chiradzulu (1,392/45); Dowa (1,340/40); Ntcheu (1,311/50); Thyolo (1,194/33); Rumphi (1,059/17); Karonga (964/25); and Mulanje (896/39).
Additionally, malaria cases have been reported in multiple camps, requiring medical attention and the provision of mosquito nets to prevent further spread of the disease.
Skin disease such as scabies, and acute respiratory infections due to overcrowding and poor sanitation in camps have also been reported in displacement sites.
Security
Protection is a serious concern in all assessed displacement sites. There is a high risk of violence, including sexual abuse, due to men and women sharing the same sleeping areas and limited lighting, according to the preliminary needs assessment findings.
Leadership structures in some displacement camps remain male dominated, leading to the neglect of specific concerns, priorities and solutions for women and girls in terms of protection and security.
Absence of referral victim gender-based violence (GBV) support units leaves women and girls unable to report any issues. Of the 36 sites visited by the CCCM and Shelter Sectors, nearly half (17) had no complaint or feedback mechanisms.
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