Some Disasters Malawi has faced over the years Dumisani Siwinda, 2012

SOCIAL AND POLITICAL RELATED DISASTERS IN MALAWISince Malawi gained independence in 1964, the country has been meeting different social and political disasters. These disasters include transportation accidents that include air crash, road and boat accidents, fire accidents, and the major one which was war in the neighbouring country, Mozambique.

Such disasters have caused a great loss of lives and vast loss of property. In this chapter, emphasis will be much on Mozambican war which is the major social and political disaster that affected the country between the years 1985 and 1993.

The Mozambican WarThe Mozambican war began in 1977, two years just after the end of war of independence from the Portuguese. It was caused by the violent opposition of the Mozambican Resistant Movement (RENAMO) to the ruling Front for Liberation of Mozambique (FRLIMO). One million people died in fighting and starvation. About five million people were displaced from their homes either internally or to the neighbouring and surrounding countries.

The map below shows Mozambique and her neighbouring and surrounding countries that hosted the displaced people during the civil war.

Fig. 2: Map of Mozambique with the neighbouring and sounding countries.

The Population Displaced to Malawi

In 1986 & 1987, the war reached a climax such that Malawi alone hosted about 300,000 refugees. These were mainly in the bordering districts of Nsanje, Chikwawa, Mwanza, Mulanje, Ntcheu, Dedza, Thyolo, Nkhata Bay, Machinga, Mchinji, Mangochi and some in the city of Lilongwe. The table and graph below show the number of refugees hosted by each of the districts between the years 1986 to 1993.

Table 1: Distribution of Mozambican refugees in Malawi

District19861987198819891990199119921993

Nsanje30,000115,000214,298259,981276,556291,769291,518307,137

Chikwawa3,00010,00025,82749,13668,33687,26988,18879,050

Mulanje14,50035,18046,96847,49351,79251,05454,938

Mangochi010,00026,39934,70038,91844,96544,51638,419

Thyolo00022,00034,30540,46240,03316,998

Mwanza05,50020,32335,13948,65283,16793,81790,492

Machinga0013,98517,75322,87327,30327,4970

Ntcheu13,30077,000132,491152,102160,374138,739137,062132,176

Dedza015,000113,000160,141174,544153,059155,303138,137

Lilongwe01,30020,32731,22835,57638,49938,63626,568

Mchinji004,4009,85816,56320,25118,66818,612

Nkhata Bay0002,9972,5355,2674,4632,940

Total60,800233,800606,230822,003926,725982,542990,755905,467

Source: Malawi Government, 1992 & UNHCR

Fig. 2: Graph showing the trend of number of refugees registered from 1986 to 1993

The influx started in the year and 1986 to 1990 when a maximum of about 1,000,000 refugees were registered in the country. According to Dzimbiri (1993), by early 1988, the influx averaged to 20,000 per month. By 1993, 12% of the Malawi population was the Mozambican refugees. Following is the graph of number of refugees registered per district in the year 1992, still with a maximum of about 1,000,000 refugees.

Fig. 3: Graph showing districts of Malawi and average number of refugees hostedNsanje reported the highest number of refugees mainly because the district has larger portion that form the boundary with Mozambique and also it shows that side of Mozambique was very volatile. The same is also with Dedza and Ntcheu. On the other hand Nkhata Bay regardless forming a larger international boundary with Mozambique, all of it is Lake Malawi which was not easy to cross making it having the least number of refugees. The lest of the districts registered a number of refugees below 50,000.

The Effects of the war on MalawiAlthough there were several positive and negative effects of the war on Malawi as a country, the adverse effects were much more than the positive effects. As such in this report, much emphasis is on the adverse effects of the war. These included loss of farm land of Malawian citizens, Famine, Outbreaks of different diseases, strain on Resources, Decreased National Security and Environmental Damage.

Loss of farmland of Malawian Citizens and subsequent famineWith the coming in of the Mozambican refugees, several camps were erected in the country to cater for these refugees. In the process some portions of Malawian citizens farmland was used rendering the citizens with a little or no land at all. Furthermore, there were several inter-marriages between the Mozambicans seeking asylum and the native Malawians. Since culturally once a clan member got married he supposed to receive his share of clan land hence there was further division of land into small plots. All these exerted pressure on farm land which later led to insufficient food production and subsequent famine.

Environment Damage

With a drastic increase in population in the country, several settlement shelters were erected and also an increase in demand of fuel wood. This led to deforestation of Malawi forest reserves and some natural forest. In terms of fuel wood alone it has been estimated that displaced Mozambicans consumed between 54,000 MT and 74,000 MT of fuel wood annually (GOM 1992). And coupled with the frequent use of heavy trucks that were distributing aid to the refugee camps, there was a massive degradation of roads of which the cost was mainly born by the Malawi government.

Strain of ResourcesThere was a massive strain of resources in social and public institutions such as schools and hospitals. In government departments, a lot of time was spent on implementing refugee related programs; this was accompanied by a cost. Although some of those costs were catered by UNHCR, some were born by the Malawi government. For instance on displaced persons for 1990 alone showed a net total additional cost to the Malawi Government of US$25.1 million (GOM 1992). This simply shows a diversion of resources that would have been used for other development programs.

Disease OutbreaksIn refugee camps, people were congested and water supply and sanitation was poor. As such, these led to outbreaks of several different diseases such as cholera and measles. Such diseases spread to the surrounding Malawian settlements. Several lives were lost and pressure on medical care and services was imposed.

Decreased National Security and Loss of Life

Since the broke of Mozambican war, several ammunitions have been locally found in Malawi. This has posed a security threat on Malawi and even an increase in the cost of security by the Malawi government. This is evidenced in different occasions of armed robbery were AK-47 guns were used. This is the commonest gun used during the Mozambican civil war.

Local and International Response

During and after the war several interventions were taken by both the Malawi government and the international community through the UNHCR. Refugee camps were erected in all the bordering districts directly affected by the war. Relief food, medical care, shelters and many more services were provided in the camps. Although the Malawi government had increase its budget to cater for these refugees, but some of that of it was repaid back by the United Nations through the UNHCR. Even after the refugees were repatriated, different programs and projected funded by the UN were initiated in order to mitigate the effects the war had on Malawi. For instance in Dedza, reforestation programs were implemented to replace the depleted forests. In 1989/1990, the total expenditure by the Malawi Roads Department was US$4.2 million and UNHCR had to contribute US$ 1.2 million.

Transportation AccidentsOver the past 40 years, Malawi has been experiencing different transportation accidents which include road accidents, air crash accidents and Boat accidents. Above all, road accidents have been occurring very often and causing more deaths. Very few boat and air crash accidents have been registered.

Road accident is ranked on ninth on the fifty major causes of death in the country. Although several interventions have been taken by the road traffic department, there has not been a significant decrease in road accidents in the country. The famous accident spot is Linthipe 3 on the main road linking the commercial capital Blantyre in the South and Lilongwe the capital city. It is about 50 km south of Lilongwe. For past years hundreds of people have lost their lives on this spot, the worst being an accident that claimed 29 lives on spot that occurred in 2004. This also happened to be the worst road accident in the history of Malawi.

Fig. 5: Memorial tower of the worst accident on Linthipe3

Fire AccidentsIn Malawi, there have been also reported cases of infernos. Though not rampant, but still there have been some loss of live and property due to such accidents. Most of such accidents have been registered on household level. Other most destructive fire accidents that have been reported are the gutting down of markets. These have been occurring almost annually for the past few years the most recent being the gutting down of Ndirande and Taifa markets in the northern and southern region respectively. In such accidents property wealth millions of kwacha have been lost. However, in such accident no loss of lives were registered.HEALTHY RELATED DISASTERS IN MALAWISome cases of disasters that have been reported in the country are directly related to health. There share in claiming peoples lives and in use of government resources cannot be overlooked. Well notable health related disasters include food poisoning, measles, cholera and malnutrition. In this chapter, these four will be discussed.Food PoisoningIn Malawi sporadic cases of Food Poisoning occur but there prevalence is not well known because they are not well documented. Many food poisoning cases aren't linked to outbreaks, and news reports are not necessarily a clear gauge of their prevalence. Food poisoning is caused by mainly different chemical toxins and their spread can either be waterborne or any other. Sometimes Toxins causing food poisoning are clostridium perfringens which are commonly found in faecal matter. Usually, in areas where sanitation is mostly poor have rampant spread of the toxins hence cases of food poisoning. There have been also cases of food poisoning reported during drought and famine where people tend to consume poisonous wild herbs. Other cases are household where pesticides and rodentcides were accidentally consumed by a family members more especially children.Areas affected and extent of effectIn Malawi Food Poisoning occurs almost every year mostly during the rainy season. But severe cases have been reported of 1986 when it affected a lot of people directly i.e. a lot of food poisoning related illnesses were reported and also a lot of people who were not treated died of it.Areas that reported a lot of cases include the following; Zomba district especially in Nambesa Village, TA Mwambo and Majawa Village, TA Mlumbe almost 11 people died and some survived after receiving treatmentGovernment response to food poisoning casesNormally, the first response given by government when such cases have arise is the provision of treatment to affected people and ensuring that those who were treated had regained good health. This is done through the public health centres and hospitals distributed across the country which are free of charge. Furthermore, Health inspections are usually carried out within the districts of the country to ensure that the environment is clean and safe. The Malawi Bureau of Standards ensures that food is produced under hygienic conditions and its free from any harmful chemicals and toxins..Cholera

Cholera is one of the outbreaks which is normally reported during the rainy season in the country mainly due to poor water and sanitation during this period. Cholera is often spread by eating food contaminated by germs from human waste. Symptoms of the disease include diarrhea, vomiting and dehydration. Those who do not have access to a hospital or clinic for rehydration therapy may die.The recent worst cholera outbreak in the country was reported between the years 2006 and 2007. From the 7th of August 2006 to the end of June 2007, a total of 309 cases of cholera and 6 deaths had been reported countrywide in 12 districts. These districts were Nkhata Bay Phalombe, Mangochi, Machinga, Nkhotakota, Nsanje, Mulanje, Chikwawa, Ntcheu, Balaka, Blantyre, and Chiradzulu. After a calm situation in March 2007, the number of cases of cholera in the country rocketed to 111 cases in April 2007, 36% of the total number of cases for this cholera crisis. Nkhata Bay was the worst hit district in April with 68 cases, representing 60% of the number of cases for that month. Water supply in the area is reported to be poor as people are drawing water directly from a local river.Table 4: Showing number of cholera cases reported in the years 2006/2007

DistrictCases ReportedDistrictCases ReportedDistrictCases ReportedDistrictCases Reported

Balaka2Chiradzulu1Mulanje16Nsanje22

Blantyre1Machinga48Nkhata Bay68Ntcheu 5

Chikwawa8Mangochi51Nkhotakota37Phalombe51

Fig. 5: Graph showing District against number of cholera cases reportedAll the 37 cholera cases in Nkhotakota were reported from May 28th to June 17th, towards the end of the crisis. That was a lesson learned for the cholera taskforce working group that we should not lower our awareness, as an outbreak may occur in district that were so far considered as safe.

Government response

Several efforts have been made by government to eliminate any prevalence of cholera. Regional health inspector provides cholera drugs to affected individuals in all the years of infestation; most people who were treated survived the outbreak. Ministry of Health through the Department of Environmental Health conducts anti cholera campaigns by providing trainings to communities on hygienic practices throughout the country almost every year.Measles

Measles kills more children than any other vaccine-preventable disease, most of them in developing countries. The highly contagious disease accounts for almost one in ten of all deaths among children under five, half of them in children less than a year old. Measles can also lead to lifelong disabilities, including brain damage, blindness, and deafness, especially in developing countries. The disease thrives in cities, especially in deprived urban areas where overcrowding ensures the continued circulation of the measles virus.

Measles deaths and disability can be prevented. A vaccine against measles has been available for over three decades. It is safe, effective, and cheap in cost for the single dose needed to immunize a child. But in 1998, one in five of the world's children was not immunized against measles during their first year of life. And in Africa, which accounts for more than half of the world's measles cases, less than 50% of children were immunized.Areas affected and extent of effect

A lot of cases were reported in 1998. It affected almost the entire nation, the most affected areas include; Mwanza district in Kunekude, Neno and Matandani, Mzimba district in Emoneni, Mbalachanda, Yakuwata, Lukwelukwe, Kanyankhunde, Phala area and Mbelwa.Almost 129 cases were reported in 1991 alone and 156 cases were reported in 1998. 17% of children that were affected by measles in 1990 died of the outbreak whilst 83% of the affected children recovered after receiving treatment.Government response

Against this backdrop of low immunization coverage in Africa, Malawi has succeeded in boosting immunization coverage against measles from only 50% in 1980 to almost 90% today. As a result, the number of reported cases and deaths has fallen dramatically. During 1999, only two laboratory-confirmed cases were reported. And, for the first time ever, no measles deaths. Yet only two years earlier, almost 7000 measles cases were reported and 267 deaths (although most cases go unreported and WHO estimates that nine times as many cases and almost five times as many deaths actually occurred).

The first key step in reducing measles deaths in Malawi was a sustained increase in routine immunization coverage. This led to an encouraging sharp drop in measles cases and deaths. However, while epidemics have become less frequent, they still occur every 3-5 years -- triggered by a build-up in the number of children who have not been immunized and by the vaccine's inherent 15% failure rate. In an epidemic in 1992, for example, 11 000 cases were reported.

Then in 1998, Malawi launched a campaign to eliminate measles. The strategy, developed in the Americas, where measles has almost been eliminated, involves a 3-pronged attack to halt transmission of the virus: a nationwide immunization campaign usually targeting every child from nine months to 14 years ("catch-up"); sustained routine immunization coverage of at least 95% of children during the first year of life ("keep-up"); and nationwide campaigns every 2-5 years usually targeting children born after the initial catch-up campaign ("follow-up"). The aim is to ensure that few if any children slip through the immunization net.

In June 1998, a nationwide immunization campaign in Malawi targeting 4.7 million children from 9 months to 14 years succeeded in reaching over 90% of the target population. In addition, vitamin A supplements -- which can prevent one in four child deaths from infectious diseases -- were given to all children aged six months to five years.

Malawi's success in reducing the death toll from measles has involved concerted efforts to train health workers, improve immunization safety (including vaccine quality assurance and injection safety), and strengthen disease surveillance and monitoring skills. A key factor has been the success of social mobilization campaigns in encouraging parents to immunize their children against measles. In some cases, community volunteers have helped organize door-to-door immunization or set up vaccination posts nearby to ensure that previously unreached children could be immunized.

Today, in an effort to prevent epidemics of measles, Malawi is continuing efforts to ensure that at least 95% of children are immunized during the first year of life and to identify populations where children are unimmunized and at high risk of continued transmission of the measles virus. These children will be targeted in the follow-up phase of the campaign.MalnutritionDespite the very impressive gains made in national crop production in the agricultural sector, Malawi continues to face a significant development challenge to reduce the high levels of child malnutrition and mortality which prevail across the country. The problem of household food and economic insecurity, or in other words the inability of families to produce or purchase enough food to meet basic biological needs, is considered to be a major determinate of Malawi's nutrition problem.According to reports from the survey conducted by Malawi Vulnerability Committee (MVAC) in 2007 most areas of Malawi are identified as potentially food insecure. Prevalence of Global Acute Malnutrition among children 6-59 months of age was 1.3% in parts of Karonga District, 0.6% in Ntchisi District, and 2.7% in the Chikwawa / Nsanje area. There were 2 children with Oedema in the Chikwawa / Nsanje area and one child in the other two districts. Areas affected and extent of effect

The whole country is affected; including the neighboring borders e.g. Ntcheu area along Malawi and Mozambique border. In 1986 most people affected were Mozambicans. The rural areas record the highest number of children who are malnourished.Eradicating MalnutritionUNICEF and WFP jointly supported a Supplementary Feeding Programme (SFP) to children under 6-59 months and pregnant and lactating women in 11 out of 17 MVAC identified districts, until June 2007.

Micronutrient support: The first round of vitamin A supplementation and deworming campaign was conducted in August 2007 through the Child Health days. A total about 1.8 million children (6-59 months old) were targeted for vitamin A and 1.6 million children (12-59 months old) for deworming tablets. The second round of Child Health days combined with Bednet re-treatment is planned for November 2007. The Vitamin A capsules used were received as an in-kind donation from the Canadian Government (CIDA).

World Vision of Malawi helps in dealing with Malnutrition. It conducts the following activities in carrying out its programs; teaching families about food preparation and preservation. This has increased food availability and greatly improved childrens nutritional status. Teaching women better ways of preparing food i.e. balanced diet and safe cooking practices. Teaching farmers ways of fortifying their food with locally available ingredients. Train health workers on exclusive breastfeeding practices. This has increased community knowledge on infant feeding. WEATHER RELATED DISASTERS IN MALAWIFor the past decades Malawi has experienced a number of adverse climatic hazards and yet it still has limited capacity and abilities to cope with, and respond to weather adverse events. Well notable climatic hazards include Hailstorms, Heavy rains, Drought (dry spell) and Winds. Such hazards have caused a massive loss of life and property more especially crops and housing. With the coming in of climate change, where weather pattern have not being predictable like before, such disasters have become rampant on small to medium scale.Although different property is destroyed by such hazards, the most affected field is the Agriculture sector. There have been cases of loss of crops right in the field in different parts of the country such as in the lower shire causing famine.Heavy Rain and HailstormDuring the rainy season, rain events may be heavy, resulting in a downpour of monsoon-like rain to many parts of Malawi. In some situations, heavy rain is accompanied by hailstorms, which pose a major threat to many farming communities in the country. Homes are also affected. According to OPC (2005) many people in Malawi, approximately 86%, live in rural areas. Majority of these people live in poorly constructed homes made of mud walls with thatched grass roofs. Such dwellings are extremely vulnerable to heavy rain events and flooding, especially, flash flooding. Hailstorms, likewise, have a negative impact on these types of homes. In addition, many communities have been established on the shores of rivers or lakes as these locations provide fertile soil for agriculture (Independent Online 2007). Some well notable hailstorms have been registered over the years to have destroyed tobacco crop in the fields. This has been common in the central region where tobacco is extensively cultivated and some parts of the northern region. Drought

The opposite side of a heavy rain event is a drought (or dry spell), another hazard, which threatens Malawi. UNDP-Malawi reported six occurrences of droughts between 1946 and 2005. While droughts have occurred less than floods, their impact has had a greater effect on the country. Center for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED) reported that the number of people affected by droughts since 1965 is almost 20 million, while floods have only impacted close to 2 million people over the same time period (EM-DAT 2009). This simply indicates that drought is ten times hazard compared to floods. The table and graph below shows major drought events between the year 1987 to 2007 as reported by the PrevntionWeb, an independent online report.Table 5: Number of people affected by drought in a specific yearYear198719901992200220052007

Number of people affected1,429,2672,800,0007,000,0002,829,4355,100,000520,000

Fig. 6: Graph of people affected by drought in a specific yearFor the past two and half decades, the worst drought occurred was in the year 1991/1992 where about 7million people were affected.Brief History of well notable Weather Disasters in MalawiThis section lists the notable disasters that have occurred in Malawi. The available information is based on data provided by UNDP-Malawi and recent newspaper accounts detailing disasters that have occurred since 2005 (the last year for which information from UNDP was available).

Between 1991 and 1992, a drought impacted most of Malawi affecting approximately 7 million people. In response, the government, in partnership with the international community, provided food to the affected population. Additionally, new wells were dug while previously existing wells were rehabilitated. The response effort also included the provision of medication for waterborne diseases, as well as, health education on communicable diseases. During the same period, 1991 to be specific, Phalombe experienced very violent flush floods that led to loss of lives and property. A hailstorm in 1996 affected several villages in southern Malawi. UNDP-Malawi reports that 353 households were affected. The response to this event included the provision of food aid and blankets.

In the 2001 - 2002 crop seasons, erratic rain caused a food shortage that impacted approximately 3 million people. In response, the following governments and/or Non-government Organizations (NGOs) donated food to Malawi: the United States of America, Canada, Germany, Iceland, the United Kingdom, Japan, Italy, Finland, the European Union, African Development Bank, and World Food Programme. 2005 and 2007, the country received insufficient rain that led to a drought where about 5 million and 500 thousand people were affected respectively.How Malawi Government has Responded to DisastersInitially before 1991, Malawi had no any established Disaster response program in place. All the disaster response was temporal and much reactive. It was until 1991 after the Phalombe flash floods that a permanent Disaster response program was established. The Phalombe flash floods, therefore, precipitated the development of the Disaster Preparedness and Relief Act of 1991. This Act established a basic foundation for emergency or disaster management in the country.There are major five elements in the act which are the following:

Creation of the Office of Commissioner for Disaster Preparedness, Relief and Rehabilitation, whose chief executive is responsible for fulfilling emergency relief programs within the country. Development of the National Disaster Preparedness and Relief Committee, consisting of high-level administrative heads of departments.

Outlining the process by which the president can declare a state of disaster. A presidential declaration is valid for three months, but may be terminated sooner based on the president's discretion. Establishment of a fund for disaster preparedness. Parliament is responsible for allocating money for the fund; however, the act makes a provision for private donations and donations received from foreign governments, international agencies, and/or other foreign bodies. Establishment of a local disaster response mechanism creating a regional and community level disaster response system. By establishing a local response framework, the act empowered those who would most likely be impacted by a disaster to appropriately prepare for, and respond to, a hazard impacting their community.

Furthermore, Malawi has embraced that disaster risk and reduction is much a better way than response. As such disaster risk reduction policy as well as operational guidelines for disaster risk management in Malawi has been developed. These guidelines outline the specific roles and responsibilities of various government departments, non-government organizations (NGOs), and United Nations agencies Non-Governmental and Community Response to DisastersSeveral NGOs over the years have developed Disaster Risk and Reduction programs commonly referred to as DRR. This is different from the past where a lot different food and aid such as shelter, safe water, blankets and many others were provided in disaster affected areas. This is a bit cheaper to compare to compare the amount money that was previously spent in disaster response alone. Through such programs smallholder farmers in Malawi have been trained in several adaptation strategies, including changes in crops grown and changes in growing patterns, have been undertaken in response. However, smallholder farmers have faced limitations in adapting to climate change because they lack capacity including knowledge, skills and money.

AGRICULTURAL RELATED DISASTERS

Malawi has had its share of hazards in the Agricultural sector which have consequently affected the output mostly of food and cash crops. Such disasters have been very devastating more especially that the economy of the country is agro-based. These disasters are excluding the weather parameters that directly affect the sector; rather in consideration are infestations such as mealy bug, army worms, and locusts.

Amy Worm

Armyworm (Spodoptera exempta) is a particularly devastating pest. As the outbreaks are difficult to predict, they catch farmers unaware and unprepared. If uncontrolled, they can cause total crop loss, with millions of hectares affected in bad years. Amy worm has a long history of attacking food crops most commonly Maize. The pest has contributed to the low yields and the poor quality maize harvested. The pest is difficult to control because the cost of buying pesticides for farmers is just so high.

Fig. 7: Armyworm Areas ever affected and extent of effect

As much as the infestation is felt by the whole nation, its taken so long since a major infestation took place. The most recent infestations were recorded as follows:

Table 6: Results for recent army worm infestations

YearDistrictFarmers affectedHactarage DestroyedMajor Crop Destroyed

2004Karonga-158rice and cassava

2006Salima61464518maize

20109 districts170005000maize

In 2012 farmers in the central district of Malawi, Mchinji, were warned of looming army worm infestations that destroyed maize field in the neighbouring district of Zambia. It reported that maize destruction of in the other side of Zambia posed a threat to Malawi. However, the infestation did not attack the nation.Government Response

The Government through the Ministry of Agriculture provided pesticides to communities to spray to avoid the risk of the attack in all the years. Several warning such as that of Mchinji case have been issued in advance so that precautionary measures should be taken. In a way one would say that the government has been successful in dealing with Amy worm infestation because it is no longer so common as it used to be in the 90s.

Mealy Bug

Mealy bug infestation is common in areas that grow a lot of Cassava. Mealy bug strives well along the lakeshore areas e.g. Nkhatabay district. It is a dangerous outbreak because it reduces productivity of cassava which in turn results into losses. The infestation might as well render some households in cassava dependent districts food insecure e.g. in Nkhotakota district some households do not plant maize they rely on cassava so when it is attacked by mealy bugs they may become food insecure.

Areas affected and the extent of effect

As already stated, most areas affected are those near water bodies. The table below shows the Mealy bug infestation of 1986 which is recorded as the recent worst case.Table 8: Mealy bug infestation of 1986DistrictFarmers affectedCassava Destroyed (ha)

Nkhatabay 95886403

Rumphi529244

Karonga333428

Government Response

The Government through Ministry of Disaster and Preparedness provides assistance to the farmers affected by the infestation mainly in form of Maize e.g. in 1986/87 season 13207 bags of Maize were distributed to households whose farms had been attacked by the pest. However for some time now mealy bug infestation is more less like history.