Legislator Worried About Constituents Facing Hunger Due to Drought on Likoma Islands

Liloma Islands legislator Ashems Songwe expresses concern for constituents facing hunger amid drought in northern region, writes Esther Banda.

Liloma Islands, Malawi - The legislator for Liloma Islands, Ashems Songwe, has expressed deep concern for his constituents, who are already grappling with hunger, fearing that the situation may worsen due to the drought that has struck the northern region of the country this year, writes Esther Banda.

Songwe highlighted the gravity of the situation on Likoma Island, where the small areas of arable land that people rely on to cultivate maize and cassava have failed to yield sufficient harvests due to the drought.

"We have 382 households that are food insecure, which translates to 1,900 people out of a population of 18,000 who will need support from the Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DoDMA) because they are at risk of hunger and starvation," Songwe said.

Responding to the matter, Chipiliro Khamula, the Public Relations Officer (PRO) for DoDMA, assured that the department is committed to serving the most marginalized and acts as quickly as possible upon receiving reports.

"We are a department of records, we advise the parliamentarian to work with the office of the district commissioner for the speedy submission of a report to the department. We are responding to the dry spell situation in Karonga, nothing can stop us as long as there are tangible reports. We exist to serve the most marginalized in such situations," Khamula explained.

Speaking to AfricaBrief about the same hunger issue, Vuwa Kaunda, the legislator for Nkhata Bay Central, stated that the district is also facing a critical situation as there is a severe shortage of maize, and people are suffering greatly from hunger.

Kaunda further explained that the area along the lake shore is characterized by scarce farming land due to its mountainous and hilly terrain, making it difficult to produce enough crops.

"We urgently request the government to stock the Nkhata Bay Admarc Market with maize so that people, especially those who can afford to buy it, can feed their families," Kaunda said.

As the situation of hunger and food insecurity continues to worsen on Likoma Islands and Nkhata Bay, the legislators and authorities are calling for swift action from the government and relevant agencies to address the urgent needs of the affected communities and provide adequate support to those at risk of hunger and starvation.