Update: The death toll from recent heavy rains and devastating floods across southern Malawi has risen to 34, with nearly 200 people injured, according to Kurunzi News. The Department of Disaster Management Affairs reported that the severe weather has affected over 69,000 households across 23 administrative districts, with Chikwawa emerging as the worst-hit area. The government has allocated $10 million to cover immediate needs, restore basic services, and support early recovery efforts.
Meanwhile, climate change is currently costing Malawi an estimated 1.7 percent of its Gross Domestic Product each year, Channel Africa reports. Speaking at the 5th African Regional Conference on Loss and Damage in Lilongwe, Natural Resources Minister Patricia Wiskes warned that repeated droughts, floods, and cyclones are severely reducing agricultural output and damaging infrastructure. Experts at the summit, which concluded on Friday, projected that economic losses could rise to between 3 and 9 percent of GDP by 2030 if global warming continues.
In international climate finance, the Scottish Government announced 7.5 million pounds in funding for projects in Malawi, Zambia, and Rwanda, according to a gov.scot press release. As part of the initiative, Oxfam will receive 2.5 million pounds to lead community-designed projects in Malawi that focus on strengthening food security, improving access to safe water, and rebuilding homes destroyed by extreme weather.
Finally, the Department of Climate Change and Meteorological Services issued a five-day weather forecast predicting continued partly cloudy conditions with isolated thunderstorms and rains driven by easterly waves. The ongoing wet conditions raise concerns about further flooding in already saturated regions of the country.