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Zambia has stepped up preparations for an El Niño season, with the government urging institutions and partners to turn early warnings into action to protect communities at risk.
Minister of Green Economy and Environment, Gilbert Siame, said preparedness should be measured by results on the ground, including ensuring water, food and essential supplies reached vulnerable communities before the rains.
Siame made the remarks in Lusaka on Wednesday during a briefing with Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit (DMMU) National Coordinator Norman Chipakupaku at the ministry.
He commended the Zambia Meteorological Department for issuing an early alert and the DMMU for activating response clusters.
“We have had this warning for months. Our duty now is to act, so that El Niño does not become a crisis,” Siame said.
Chipakupaku told the minister that the government had activated clusters covering agriculture, food security and livestock, health, education, nutrition, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), energy, protection, emergency logistics, and risk communication and community engagement.
He said the Food Reserve Agency was building the national strategic reserve to more than 1 million metric tonnes, while boreholes were being drilled and rehabilitated in areas at risk.
“The government has also maintained sovereign drought insurance with the African Risk Capacity (ARC) since 2019, which provided timely pay-outs during the 2021/2022 and 2024/2025 seasons,” he said.
The officials urged the public to follow forecasts and advisories from the Zambia Meteorological Department and rely on official government channels for information.
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