131,000 households earmarked for relief food

The 2015 in-depth Vulnerability and Needs Assessment Report has revealed that more than 430,997 households have been affected by the prolonged dry spells experienced during the 2014/2015 rainy season.

Speaking during the launch of the report in Lusaka today, Vice President Inonge Wina says arising from the assessment report, sector experts from government, the United Nations System and Non Governmental Organizations have developed a recovery action plan which will require K200, 168,000 to be implemented.

Ms Wina says the report shows that prolonged dry spells affected household food production which will ultimately affect food security especially as households move towards the lean period.

Ms. Wina says as a result, 31 districts in six provinces will require food assistance considering that the majority of the household’s incomes are agricultural based and thus it is likely that the devastating effects suffered this season may affect next season’s production.

She adds that the assessed districts are likely to face water shortages which will push up the nutritional and disease burden.

Ms. Wina says the proposed interventions in the recovery plan include the provision of relief food to 131,158 households in 31 districts, rehabilitation and sinking of boreholes, provision of inputs to 45,079 households in 27 districts, strengthening of epidemic preparedness and scaling up livelihood diversification programmes among others.

And Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit (DMMU) National Coordinator Patrick Kangwa explains that the vulnerability needs assessment programme has been undertaken for more than 10 years now and the process has been assisting government in mitigating the impact of various hazards.

Mr. Kangwa says the process has also been able to assist government in linking disasters to development.