LILONGWE, March 24 (Xinhua) -- The death toll from recent heavy rains in Malawi has reached 29, with 142 people injured, the Malawian government said Tuesday.
Commissioner for Disaster Management Affairs Wilson Moleni made the remarks while receiving a donation from the National Oil Company of Malawi, noting that heavy rains and floods have affected 39,000 households across 16 councils.
He said the initial budget for relief support for the affected households is 10 million U.S. dollars, and he appealed for more support from various stakeholders, including development partners and international organizations.
The commissioner said since the onset of the rain season in October last year, a total of 78 deaths and over 370 injuries have been recorded, with nearly 87,000 households affected across the country.
According to him, the budget for the country's National Lean Season Food Insecurity Response Plan was pegged at 209 billion Malawian kwacha (about 120 million dollars), but still faced a deficit of 59 billion kwacha (about 34 million dollars).
