100 000 people affected by torrential rains, floods in Madagascar

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Sharon Kavhu

Windhoek - At least 106 846 have been affected by torrential rains and floods in the seven regions of Madagascar and left 170 dead as at January 30, the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Secretariat has said.

In a statement, SADC Executive Secretary, Dr Stergomena Lawrence Tax, expressed great concern over the natural disaster which has resulted in over 6 600 students being forced out of school infrastructure to makeshift schools.

“The Secretariat notes with great sadness the impact of widespread rains and floods following a weather system that formed in the Mozambique Channel on 17 January 2020 that hit the north-west of Madagascar on 22 January 2020.  The torrential rains and floods have affected over 106,846 people in seven regions of the country, displacing over 16,000 people and leaving at least 170 dead, and the death toll is expected to rise, as several people are still missing,” said Dr Tax.

“The heavy rains and floods have also damaged key infrastructure, including roads, houses and schools in several locations. Over 10,600 houses are still flooded while 146 have been destroyed. Across the seven regions, around 6,600 students are out of school or are learning in make-shift classrooms, as a result of the damage to classrooms.”

She said the flooding has also affected several lowland areas that are used to grow crops, mainly rice and may therefore impact on the food security in the coming cropping period. 

Dr Tax urged all SADC member states to re-double efforts to strengthen disaster risk management capacities, as emphasized in the SADC Disaster Preparedness and Response Strategy adopted in 2016. She said there was a need to fully operationalise the necessary collaborative mechanisms to ensure swift joint and concerted responses to disasters is achieved.

"SADC appreciates the overwhelming support extended to the government of Madagascar and the affected communities by our cooperating partners, non-governmental organisations and civil society organisations on the ground. We call upon all our partners, within and beyond the region, to continue supporting the rescue operations, and in providing the needed humanitarian assistance to the affected communities.”

She reiterated SADC's call for joint global efforts to mitigate climate change by stepping up efforts to enhance adaptive capacities of developing countries.

Dr Tax said this will be done in line with the spirit of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (2015-2030) and Article 8(4) of the 2015 Paris Agreement on Climate Change while enhancing carbon sequestration through the adoption of cleaner production technologies, scaling up reforestation and combating deforestation.  

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