ASSESSING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF MALAWI NATIONAL FLOOD EARLY WARNING SYSTEM IN MITIGATING FLOOD RISK IN VULNERABLE COMMUNITIES. A CASE STUDY OF CHIKWAWA, T/A MASEYA

Floods have major devastating impacts on lives, livelihoods and properties of people worldwide. Malawi, one of the countries in the Sub Saharan Africa experiences huge losses due to flood disasters almost annually. However, in attempt to alleviate the adverse impacts of flood disasters in vulnerable communities, Malawi government established a National Flood Early Warning System (MN-FEWS) in 2015. But only few comprehensive papers on the performance of flood EWS in areas where floods occur frequently in Africa existed. This study assessed the effectiveness of MN-FEWS in mitigating flood risk in vulnerable communities specifically T/A Maseya. The study employed a mixed research method where data was collected qualitatively using a questionnaire and it was analyzed quantitatively using SPSS and excel. The MN-FEWS was assessed based on awareness of people, dissemination channels, reliability of the system and the responses of people. The study revealed strengths and weaknesses of the N-FEWS in mitigating flood risk in vulnerable communities which includes gaps in system awareness, issues of reliability including issues of false and missed alarms, short lead time, and varying response rates and actions among the population. The study included recommendations for improving the systems effectiveness which are enhancing public awareness, strengthening communication and dissemination channels and promoting innovative early warning methods.