By KASONDE KASONDE –
THE Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit (DMMU) has disbursed more than 1,000 tonnes of relief food to Serenje District in Central Province to avert a hunger situation in the area.
Serenje District Commissioner Kenny Mungendenge said DMMU sent 1,054 tonnes of relief maize last week which would be distributed to nine wards.
After the vulnerability assessment, the Office of the Vice-President identified Serenje and Chitambo as districts that will be on the relief food programme in Central Province.
Mr Mungendenge said more than 2,000 families in Serenje have been hit by hunger and have been surviving on wild fruits and roots following the poor harvests recorded last farming season.
He said areas such as Katota, Chikunde, Mapepala and Chief Muchinda were in desperate need of relief food in order to survive.
“The most affected areas are in the valley where people have completely run out of food and the relief maize is all they are depending on,” he said.
The district committee met and made recommendations to the DMMU after which assessments were made and it was decided that 1,054 tonnes would be adequate.
He said 80 per cent of the relief maize would be given out as food for work and the other 20 per cent would be given out to the aged and the disabled.
In December last year, 2,344 families in the district received 100 tonnes of relief maize from the DMMU following hunger that hit the areas in the valley.