The torrential downpour of rain in the past few days has caused massive flooding in one third of Malawi, forcing its government to declare a State of Disaster and evacuate its residents.

Humanitarian organisations are scrambling to give aid to displaced residents.

Around 10,000 people from 15 districts of the country, mostly from the South and North have been displaced and left homeless because of the rain.

Mothers and their children have reportedly been sleeping in trees and on rooftops as they wait for rescue and the waters to subside.

According to African non government organisation Gift of Givers, 173 individuals have been confirmed dead. Authorities are having a hard time looking for other bodies since some some villages in Nsanje have been completely washed away by the flood.

Many Mozambicans have flocked to Nsanje since they find the district more accessible than Malawi's main land, according to ACT.

ACT reported that the Malawi Defense Force is trying to evacuate more people to safer places using boats and helicopters, but this is proving difficult since bad weather continues to hound Nsanje and Chikwawa.

And things might get worse.  The Meteorological Department of Malawi predicts that there could be more flooding since the rains are set to continue.

Malawi police have already started setting up Child Protection and Victim Support services in the camps, while the Ministry of Health has been working hard to eliminate the possibility of any waterborne diseases such as cholera, since the evacuation camps are severely congested.

ACT Alliance and its members Churches Action in Relief and Development (CARD) and Evangelical Lutheran Development Services (ELDS) for its part have responded to the disaster by providing food items such as maize (flour), beans and cooking oil, provision of chlorine, mosquito nets, kitchen utensils, tents and plastic sheets.