Madagascar
Madagascar - 1.1 Humanitarian Background
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Disasters, Conflicts and Migration 

Natural Disasters 

Type 

Occurs 

Comments / Details 

Drought 

YES 

Between 2018 and 2022, Southern Madagascar experienced a prolonged drought as rainfall became scarcer amid a changing climate.  

Food security was devastated and widespread hunger ensued to reach near-famine proportions. Impoverishment, health impacts of malnutrition and stunting, caused by these lean years, will have a significant impact on years to come.  

Drought takes a toll on social relationships.  The strain of losing access to water, watching crops die, losing livelihoods and seeing family members go hungry can lead to social stress within households and communities, and give rise to violence and conflict.  

Although the economic, health and environmental impacts of drought have been widely studied, the social impacts of drought remain largely overlooked.  

In 2020, the World Bank teamed up with researchers at the Global Studies Institute, California State University, and put in place a monitoring system to track the social impacts of the drought in Southern Madagascar.  

Every four months, a representative panel of 480 respondents was asked to reflect on the impacts of the drought and how various social dynamics were faring. Respondents identified the drought as causing the following particular stresses: lack of access to water and food, increased food prices, increased poverty and pressure on livelihoods.  

 

Earthquakes 

NO 

 

Epidemics 

YES 

- Infectious diseases remain the leading causes of morbidity and mortality for both adults and children. The main endemic diseases are malaria in coastal regions, pulmonary tuberculosis and intestinal and urinary schistosomiasis. 

Currently, the Malagasy population lives in an environment where risk factors (poverty, pollution, unhealthy environment, climate change, increase and speed of international travel, political instability, etc.) contribute to the outbreak of the epidemic (seasonal and avian influenza, arbovirus, rabies, malaria, plague, etc.). Emerging and re-emerging diseases are causes of morbidity and mortality. The influenza, responsible for school and work absenteeism, respiratory and cardiovascular complications especially in the elderly and young children. 

- Arboviruses can affect a considerable number of individuals and can lead to haemorrhagic forms responsible for high mortality. Arboviruses circulate in the whole island. The risk is very high for dengue due to the presence of susceptible mosquitoes strains while the virus circulates in East Africa and in the Indian Ocean area. This risk seems to be very low for yellow fever, and intermediate for other arboviruses.  

- Plague is endemic in Madagascar and cases are reported each year in bubonic and pneumonic forms. The favorable season for transmission of the disease generally lasts from September to April. Cases are usually reported from the central highlands of the country, located at an altitude of over 700 meters, as is the situation with the current outbreak involving the regions of Itasy and Haute Matsiatra. Between 200 and 400 cases of plague are usually notified each year by the Ministry of Public Health, mainly in the bubonic form.   

- Malaria transmission in Madagascar is highly heterogeneous, exhibiting spatial, seasonal and long-term trends. Transmission exhibits strong spatial trends, with high endemicity in the coastal regions and lower transmission in the highlands, and seasonal patterns in incidence are widely observed. 

 In Madagascar, too, the floods led by two cyclones during the first two months of 2023 have been behind the upsurge in malaria cases. It increased the risk of cholera outbreaks in the country, noted the WHO in a statement  

Between 2015 and 2021, the incidence of malaria cases increased by over 40 per cent in Madagascar, according to the WHO’s World Malaria Report, 2022. 

As of June 5, 2022, Madagascar reported 543,994 cases of malaria and 68 deaths (CFR 0.01%), according to the weekly bulletin of the WHO for the period July 6- July 10, 2022  

These incidences are associated with the five storms and tropical cyclones — Ana, Batsirai, Dumako, Emnati, and Gombo — that hit Madagascar between January and March 2022. 

- Poliomyelitis reappears in 2014 as the country was well on track to completely eradicate this epidemic. 

Finally, Madagascar is threatened by epidemics of viral hemorrhagic fevers such as Ebola or yellow fever, due to eco-epidemiological conditions and susceptibility of unfavorable populations. 

Extreme Temperatures 

NO 

 

 

 

 

 

Flooding 

YES 

Floods in Madagascar are usually a result of one of the following events: flooding of rivers due to abnormally intense rainfall;, torrential rains in urban areas; failure of the drainage system causing flooding in cities, as the impermeable surface of the urban soil increases the problems of flow, breaks of dams or constructions retaining water: 

These phenomena cause almost annually considerable damage to the country.  

The most exposed areas are: the Central Highlands (Analamanga, Alaotra Mangoro) where the soils are ferralitic and clay like, therefore not very permeable and easily retain runoff;. 

The coastal areas (Atsimo Andrefana, Atsimo Antsinanana, Vatovavy Fitovinany, Betsiboka, Menabe, Sofia) whose soils are generally clay like in character and which very quickly lose their absorptive capacity by saturation. 

In many parts of the island, it is now essential to have good watershed management, urban drainage infrastructure, and better planning in urban centers. It is also necessary to address the problem of informal occupations in flood-prone areas because this phenomenon exacerbates other causes associated with water absorption mechanisms. 

Insect Infestation 

YES 

The locust plague remains the most serious threat to insect infestation in Madagascar. This type of hazard is causing considerable damage to the crops of the crossing areas, thus reducing the profitability of the arable land and causing drought in the long term. 

Grasshopper invasions can be attributed to a large part of the food shortage suffered by the majority of the regions of southern Madagascar: Atsimo-andrefana, Androy and Anosy. 

The presence of desert locusts (Schistocerca gregarias) and locusts (Locusta migratorioid) is the most common. 

Recently limited to the southern regions, the locust invasion began by gaining the highlands for about 3 years, whereas until then they had long been spared. The locusts reached the capital in 2014. 

A National Committee for Control of Desert Locust (CNLA) was created by Decree 98-057 in 1998; And after the invasion from 1997 to 2000, this locust control was entrusted to the National Anti-locust Center (CNA). The CNA provides surveillance and preventive control. 

In April 2021, Madagascar observed an increase in the locust population, “Locusta migratoria capito”, and a locust control intervention program was quickly established. 

The risk of an explosion of locust swarms, mainly in rice fields, is extreme. The best solution is locating the locust bands and eradicating them before they turn into vast swarms of reproductive adults. Level Up, a Kenyan company, has provided aerial spraying for Madagascar since December 2021. The last major locust campaign in Madagascar was 2014-2016. 

Mudslides 

YES 

In Madagascar, the Analamanga region is considered to be the region most affected by the landslide, particularly in the Manjakamiadana hill. Nevertheless, according to the BNGRC (National Bureau of Risk and Disaster Management) which is in charge of monitoring this phenomenon, all the districts of the hills of Antananarivo-city are on the list of zones highly at risk. 

The classic phenomenon of deforestation of mountain flanks due to clearing and agropastoral practices is the main cause of landslides, favored on the other hand by geological features. In addition, the specific features of the climate in certain zones do not favor the appearance of significant vegetation that can protect the mountain flanks. Rockfall collapses and landslides are also observed in some parts of the country. 

 

In January 2023, flooding and landslides caused by the passage of tropical storm Cheneso across Madagascar caused 30 deaths, left 20 people missing and affected tens of thousands across the Indian Ocean island nation. 

 

Volcanic Eruptions 

NO 

 

High Waves / Surges 

NO 

 

 

 

 

Wildfires 

YES 

In Madagascar, forest and vegetation fires are generally characterized by the spread of bush fires, which are most often initiated by farmers seeking to clear new land for subsistence farming or by livestock farmers pushed new vegetation to feed their animals. These fires sometimes overflow to protected parks and forest areas. 

The increase in fire outbreaks is a serious threat to Madagascar’s landscape. According to figures from the Directorate for the Revalorisation of Forest Resources at the Madagascan Ministry of the Environment, 10,000 hectares of forest are lost every year in Madagascar due to bush fires. And statistics provided by the US Space Agency (Nasa) indicate that “90% of the burnt areas correspond to grassy/shrubby savannahs, a little more than 5% to forest areas and less than 5% to crop areas. 

 

High Winds 

YES 

Madagascar is the first country most exposed to cyclones in Africa and the third most vulnerable country in the world to the effects of climate change. 

More than 60% of the tropical cyclones forming in the basin directly or indirectly affect Madagascar, on average 1.5 cyclones a year crosses the country, generally affecting 2/3 of the country. 

 

Freddy: 2 to 7 March 2023 

Freddy: 6 to 24 February 2023 

Cheneso: 17 to 29 january 2023 

Jasmine: 24 to 28 April 2022 

Gombe: 8 to 14 March 2022 

Emnati: 16 to 24 February 2022 

Dumako: 13 to 16 February 2022 

Batsirai: 27 January to 8 February 2022 

Ana: 23 to 25 January 2022 

 

 

Other Comments 

N/A 

Man-Made Issues 

Civil Strife 

No 

N/A 

International Conflict 

No 

N/A 

Internally Displaced Persons 

No 

N/A 

Refugees Present 

No 

N/A 

Landmines / UXO Present 

No 

N/A 

Other Comments 

N/A 

 

For a more detailed database on disasters by country, please see the Centre for Research on Epidemiology of Disasters Country Profile. 

 

Seasonal Effects on Logistics Capacities 

Seasonal Effects on Transport 

Transport Type 

Time Frame 

Comments / Details 

Primary Road Transport 

All year 

Only around 10% of the primary roads are paved and half of these 10% suffer of a lack of maintenance. 

Only the paved part is accessible all year long, the other part are mostly passable only during the dry season. 

Secondary Road Transport 

From December To June 

Most of them are very difficult or unpredictable during the rainy season. 

Rail Transport 

All year 

The railway is not very developed and the network suffers from a lack of investment and maintenance. 

Most of the railways sections experienced temporary closures during the year due to problems on the network and infrastructures. 

Air Transport 

All year 

With 126 airports, the territory is well covered and practicable all year long. If 29 airstrips are paved, the other are clay, and need confirmation before to land during the rainy season. 

Waterway Transport 

All year 

Water transport is working without interruption all year long. 

 

 

Seasonal Effects on Storage and Handling 

Activity Type 

Time Frame 

Comments / Details 

Storage 

From December to June 

During the rainy season a detail check must be done with local authorities on the storage capacities as heavy rains and heavy winds can affect the structures. 

Handling 

From December to June 

During the rainy season some areas may have limited handling capacities 

Other 

N/A 

N/A 

 

Due to the geography of the island, the climate of Madagascar is very variable. Generally, there are two seasons in Madagascar: a very hot rainy season from December to June, and a cooler dry season from May to October. 

-       The east coast is the wettest part of the country; this is where the tropical forest lies. This area is also regularly affected by tropical storms and devastating cyclones which affect the transport network and makes some parts inaccessible during some month. 

-       The plateaus of the Center are much colder and drier; most of it is crossed by paved roads. 

-       The West Coast is home to dry deciduous forest. The road network is very poor, most of the places are very difficult to access by road even during the dry season and become almost un-reachable during the rainy season. 

-       Southern Madagascar has the driest climate of the island, the road network is mainly unpaved and in a very bad condition: rain is rare but makes roads inaccessible when it comes. 

 

 

 

Capacity and Contacts for In-Country Emergency Response 

 

GOVERNMENT 

-  The BNGRC (Bureau National de Gestion des Risques et des Catastrophes) has been created to handle disasters and risks. It replaces the CNS (Conseil National de Secours) since 2006.  

The National office is supervising Regional (BRGRC) offices and is still working on improving the capacity of Regional and District bodies to manage risks and disasters. They got a new office in 2022 in Mahajanga and are willing to get a new one in Manakara. With the contribution of all partners involved in risks and disaster management and strong support from OCHA, BNGRC is updating every year the contingency plan.  

The contingency plan is a helpful document with guidelines on how to assess and then respond to disasters, it contains information, contacts and data to fast respond in emergency situations.  

BNGRC has deployed VHF radios (BLU) to most districts and has pre-positioned food and non-food items in selected areas. 

-  The CPC (Corps de Protection Civile) is organized on an army-like body and has a staff crew of 258 rescuers. It is fully equipped and the rescuers are ready to be dispatched. The CPC do intervenes on BNGRC request and has access to army resources when needed. 

For more information on government contact details, please see the following link: 4.1 Government Contact List 

 

For more information on government contact details, please see the following link: 4.1 Government Contact List

 

HUMANITARIAN COMMUNITY 

During the critical time of the political crisis of 2009 the Humanitarian Country Team was activated under the guidance of the United Nations agencies, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent and the three big NGO coalition members of IASC on global level.  

The HCT normally meets every second month and is chaired by BCR (Bureau de Coordinateur résident) who together with OCHA ensures the administration. 

 The CRIC  (Comité Restreint d’Intervention en cas de Catastrophe) is a committee whose meetings aim at assesings and addressing a disaster. CRIC decisions will legitimate actions to be taken in case of disaster. CRIC meetings are normally organized at the BNGRC meeting room and shared either by BNGRC or OCHA. 

 

 

For more information on humanitarian agency contact details, please see the following link: 4.2 Humanitarian Agency Contact List

 

 

 

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