- Title
- Shire Integrated Flood Risk Management Project - Volume 2
- License
- Public Domain (PD)
-
+ Works in the public domain may be used freely without the permission of the former copyright owner.
+ For more info see http://www.copyright.gov/help/faq/faq-definitions.html. - Abstract
- Malawi is affected by a number of natural and human-made disasters every year and between 1974 and 2003, hazards cumulatively affected 25 million people (GoM, 2010). Malawi is particularly vulnerable to severe weather events, with 40 weather related disasters in the last 40 years (GoM, 2010). This vulnerability is a result of a combination of physical geo-climatic factors (including erratic rainfall and tectonic activity), environmental factors and socio-economic vulnerability. There is widespread dependence on rain-fed agriculture and use of biomass for household energy. The nation has a narrow economic base and extensive rural poverty (GoM, 2011a). The intensity, frequency and number of people affected by such disasters appears to be increasing, a trend attributed to climate change, population growth, urbanisation and environmental degradation. According to the Terms of Reference (ToR) 23 flooding events have occurred in Malawi in 29 years (1979 – 2008) which cumulatively affected 1.9 million people. Table 1-1 is a chronology of past flood events in tabular form while Figure 1-1 is a map of flood locations, based on the DNRDM list „National Profile of Disasters in Malawi‟. The Shire River and its tributaries are a major source of flooding, with the highest flooding frequency in the country occurring in the Lower Shire valley. The Shire River is economically and environmentally very important, with hydroelectric schemes generating 98% of Malawi‟s electricity, extensive fisheries and wildlife conservation areas and provision of freshwater irrigation to cash crop plantations, industrial and domestic uses.
- Publication Date
- Oct. 1, 2012, 12:04 p.m.
- Category
- Geoscientific Information
- information pertaining to earth sciences. Examples: geophysical features and processes, geology, minerals, sciences dealing with the composition, structure and origin of the earth s rocks, risks of earthquakes, volcanic activity, landslides, gravity information, soils, permafrost, hydrogeology, erosion
- Regions
- Malawi
- Responsible
- andy
- Language
- English
- Supplemental Information
- No information provided
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