malawi villagers take british multinational corporation to court over deadly flood

We've all probably bought Malawian sugar before- its in well-loved brands like Silver Spoon and Coca Cola. But now, more than 1700 rural villagers from Malawi are taking legal action against a UK company, after embankments built to protect its sugar plantations diverted floodwater into their village, destroying it and killing seven people, including two children.

Illovo Sugar, owned by British multinational Associated British Foods (ABF), built embankments around their sugar plantation in Kanseche, Malawi, to protect their crops from climate impacts like flooding.  

In 2022, Kanseche Village was flooded, destroying homes and livestock, and killing seven people, including two children. Six people were killed in the flood itself, including a little girl who slipped from her mother’s arms into the dark, churning waters as they tried to clamber into the branches of a mango tree. The child’s body has never been found. One further person died in the aftermath of the flood. 

The villagers had repeatedly raised concerns that the company’s embankments would force flood waters away from the plantation and into their village.  

The embankments deepened the water to above head height, amplified its destructive power, and channelled the flood water directly towards the village, turning the event into a lethal disaster.  

Water Witness has unearthed evidence that ABF and Illovo had known for years that the strategy of building embankments to protect their crops exacerbates flooding for neighbouring communities. Rather than taking action to mitigate these risks, the companies raised and strengthened the embankment to build their own resilience to climate change, at the cost of their neighbours’ vulnerability, livelihoods and lives. 

More than 500 households are still living in temporary accommodation three years on from the disaster, and have had no compensation from the company.  

Now, more than 1700 Kanseche villagers are taking legal action against the company, with the UK law firm Leigh Day and with support from Water Witness.  

Hear from Kanseche villagers Luke John and Fatche Sumaela in this short clip

Dr Nick Hepworth, Water Witness CEO, said:  

“This tragic case- which involves the deaths of children and the displacement of thousands of people- deserves global attention and outrage.  

Our investigation raises questions about whether ABF, a top-ranking British multinational, built its own climate resilience at the expense of vulnerable communities by diverting floodwaters away from their plantations in this way. We have documentation that shows Illovo Sugar Malawi was warned of the risks of raising their embankments as early as 2018.  

Our research shows Illovo has supplied sugar to the EU and UK including to household brands like Silver Spoon and Coca Cola. As consumers we should demand a fair water footprint from the goods we’re sold, and companies must ensure that their production does not drive human rights and environmental harms.  

The people of Kanseche, still living in temporary shelters three years on, deserve justice.” 

The brands we know and love are driving human rights and environmental harms- they can do better.

This case provides important lessons for companies on how they manage water and climate risks.

You can help: Add your name to our call for Fair Water Footprints- ensuring the products we are sold don’t undermine climate resilience and water security.