We can’t feed hunger-hit areas forever – Nalumango
By Adrian Mwanza
GOVERNMENT cannot continue feeding people in hunger-stricken areas hit with adverse weather at the expense of infrastructure development in the country, Vice-President Mutale Nalumango has said.
Nalumango said the United Party for National Development (UPND) was a pro-poor government but could not continue feeding people in areas hit with adverse weather that were not easily accessible.
“Yes, we are pro-poor, but we can’t continue feeding these people because there is no honour in that and we need to also focus on other projects like infrastructure development,” she said.
Nalumango was responding to a question by Nyimba Member of Parliament Menyani Zulu in parliament on Wednesday.
Zulu wanted to know what the government was doing to mitigate the crisis in Mantungulu and Chikwasha area, which were hit by hunger.
In her response, Nalumango said government had for some time been giving relief food, but that the areas were not easily accessible.
She said there was no honour in feeding people perpetually, which was why the government was pondering relocating certain families in the valley areas of Nyimba who had been affected by extreme weather.
“Why can’t we think of a permanent solution like relocating and resettling where they could be permanently independent and not perpetually begging for handouts,” she said.
Nalumango said the government was ready to relocate families who were affected by extreme weather.
“I’m aware that the problem has been exacerbated by the fact that there is human-animal conflict, but I was recently in Lumezi, and the chief there told me that there was available alternative land where we can take the affected people,” she said.
Nalumango said her office was aware of the hunger situation in the valley area, as most people did not have food due to dry weather spells and human-animal conflict.
Nalumango said the government could not continue feeding those families and that those willing to be resettled would be relocated.
She said government through the Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit (DMMU) was working tirelessly to ensure that the matter was dealt with.
Nalumango said 24,713 people in the area were affected and needed support and that 5,000 were in inaccessible areas, while 4000 were located on the inaccessible side of the valley.
