LUSAKA, Dec. 14 (Xinhua) -- About 46,800 households in Zambia will require food assistance for three months due to projected dry spells and droughts during the rainy season, the country's disaster relief agency said on Thursday.

The Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit said the households, spread across 35 districts in nine of the country's 10 provinces, will require 2,810 tons of maize from December 2018 to February 2019.

According to a report on the situation during the 2018/2019 season, 64 of the country's 114 districts will be hit by various disasters. Forty-two of the districts will be affected by floods and 52 by the drought and dry spells due to the El Nino weather phenomenon affecting the southern African region.

Racheal Mupanga-Chama, an information officer at the disaster management agency, said a national contingency plan has been developed in collaboration with all stakeholders. The response, recovery and rehabilitation program is designed to run for five months from December.

"Depending on the intensity of the dry spells/drought, there may be need for replanting of crops and the contingency plan has made provision for the most vulnerable households in selected districts to receive some inputs," she said. Enditem

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