A MALAWIAN water expert has warned that climate change poses a real and deadly threat to millions of lives in some of the world’s most fragile countries.
Salome Mumba is Trócaire’s Irrigation and Natural Resource Management Officer in Malawi. The southern African country is the focus of Trócaire’s current Lenten Appeal.
Ms. Mumba was in Belfast this week to speak to students, volunteers and church congregations about the challenges facing people in her home country as part of the appeal.
Ms. Mumba said, “Climate change is having a huge impact on the people of Malawi who are suffering from repeated droughts, flooding and cyclones. While they try to recover from each devastating event they are then hit again and again, in turn suffering displacement and food shortages. This year, Trócaire is leading efforts to ensure that help reaches those experiencing the worst impacts of climate change. In Malawi 2.3 million people have limited access to food and more than 3.8 million face critical food insecurity.”
Salome Mumba with Rathmore Grammar School Head Girl Kate McKenna and Head Boy Rory McErlean
“An example of the catastrophic weather events brought on by climate change is Cyclone Freddy which hit Malawi on 12th March last year. It brought torrential rains to the southern part of Malawi, that caused severe floods, unimaginable apocalypse-like mudslides and landslides, cut off main roads and bridges, destroyed crops, houses, schools and health centres and washed away entire villages.
"Overall, 2.2 million people were directly affected by the cyclone, with 679 killed and over half a million people displaced and forced to stay in temporary shelters. We are working to ensure that people are better able to survive these increasingly frequent events and the Lenten Appeal will raise funds to enable us to do this,” Ms. Mumba said.
To find out more about Trócaire’s work visit www.trocaire.org
