By Jones Gadama
The Department of Disaster Management Affairs (Dodma) is taking steps to promote the mainstreaming of disaster risk management in various sectors to ensure a holistic approach to managing disasters. Speaking during a dialogue meeting on disaster risk reduction, Dodma Deputy Director for Disaster Response, Fyawupi Mwafongo, said the department has developed guidelines for disaster risk management mainstreaming to guide sectors on how to integrate disaster risk management into their programming, planning, and budgeting.
Mwafongo emphasized that disasters are multi-sectoral and affect various aspects of society, including health, roads, and infrastructure. He cited Cyclone Freddy as an example of how disasters can have far-reaching impacts on different sectors.
“We want to use these guidelines so that we reach out to all the sectors on how they can ensure that issues of disasters become part and parcel of their normal programming, planning, and even budgeting,” Mwafongo said.
The dialogue meeting was organized by University of East Anglia postgraduate researcher John Aubrey Chirwa, who is conducting an academic research project on participatory communication in disaster risk reduction in Malawi.
Chirwa noted that he had identified gaps in disaster risk management arising from the lack of mainstreaming of disaster issues. “When coming up with solutions to disasters, the solutions should be multi-sectoral as disasters affect various sectors,” Chirwa said.
Chirwa emphasized the need for different sectors to work together in addressing disaster issues. “If we are to build better after a disaster, then we are supposed to have that enabling environment,” he said.
He added that sectors need to include disaster-related issues in their budgets to ensure proper response and recovery. “Resources are key to addressing disaster issues,” Chirwa stressed.
The mainstreaming of disaster risk management is expected to expedite issues of reconstruction, recovery, rehabilitation, and other interventions. By working together and integrating disaster risk management into their operations, sectors can reduce the impact of disasters and build more resilient communities.
Dodma’s efforts to promote a holistic approach to disaster risk management are a step in the right direction towards mitigating the effects of disasters in Malawi.
