Members of the Lilongwe City Weather Chasers Group Monday began an orientation workshop capacitating them to disseminate weather forecasts across communities in the city, thereby helping reduce impacts of disasters arising from adverse weather.
The group will bridge the knowledge gap related to weather's disasters, according to Gift Kasamira, Lilongwe City Council (LCC) Deputy Director of Economic Planning.
The workshop drew members from, among others, security agencies and health and water sectors, making the group a multisectoral tool, aimed at "playing an important role" in the early warning systems in the city.
LCC and Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DoDMA), in collaboration with the Department of Climate Change and Meteorological Services (DCCMS), held the orientation, with support from European Union (DG ECHO) and UN Habitat.
Kasamira, who is also LCC's Desk officer on city disasters, emphasized that without the weather chasers group in the city, communities cannot handle disasters even if DCCMS forecasted them.
"Information is not well-known to people or area concerned with the foretold disasters. Consequently, a lot of people become victims when disasters strike," said Kasamira, adding: "The weather group will work closely with DCCMS and linked to national and community weather chasers groups to ensure residents are well informed on all weather related issues, through sharing of weather forecasts".
"The group will share information through its WhatsApp forum and various other WhatsApp groups for city and ward Disaster Risk Management Committees to prepare well in advance for disasters and act accordingly," he further said.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
According to Kasamira, this will result in minimal loss of life and property damage, more especially in areas like Mtandile, Mchesi, Kawale, Mgona and Chinsapo, which are disaster prone.
He added the weather chasers group is in line with LCC's 2020-2025 strategic plan, which is advocating for a city resilient to shocks.
LCC's Director of Planning, Hilary Kamela, hailed the multisectoral composition of the group, saying "everyone must indeed play a role to lessen the impacts of disasters".
"Together we will be able to manage situations and institute copping mechanisms," he added.
Blessings Fula, UN Habitat Project Coordinator, said "the idea is to follow up issues of climate and weather affecting people in order to support them, more especially those most vulnerable".
According to Fula, UN Habitat is supporting the government of Malawi, through DoDMA, in enhancing the preparedness of city councils in managing disasters, which has resulted in the creation of weather chasers groups, among others. The project, he said, is being funded by DG ECHO.
"We realized that disasters that were associated with districts, are now heavily affecting cities.
"Among other activities, we want early warning systems to look at some of the available channels through which people can access early warning messages".
So far--according to Fula--Mzuzu, Zomba and Blantyre have had their weather chasers groups already created and oriented.
