Floods and heavy rains caused by a tropical cyclone that hit Malawi last week have hampered relief food distribution in the famine-stricken south of the country, the World Food Programme (WFP) said on Thursday.
”Some 20 trucks carrying relief food are stuck in the south due to poor road conditions, leaving many beneficiaries without food,” said WFP representative Abdelgadir Musallam.
Musallam said relief operations, mainly in the southern districts of Chikwawa and Nsanje, which have been hard-hit by drought, have ground to a halt due to heavy rains.
Some three million out of 11-million Malawians are threatened by famine. Floods caused by torrential rains have hit several districts of the southern African nation and killed eight people and made over 15 000 homeless.
Some areas are still inaccessible. Musallam said WFP was expected to reach 2,8-million Malawians with relief food this month, and 3,3-million people next month and in March.
The floods have also destroyed roads, railways and powerlines. Floods and drought last year were partly responsible for causing the current food shortages. Malawi needs 600 000 tons of maize, its national staple, to stave off widespread famine. -Sapa-AFP