We are in Katuma village in Mulanje, approximately 31 kilometers away from the Boma. Here, the whole village was submerged and it took them almost a week for the water levels to go down and as it is at least 456 the people are still residing in temporary shelter, plastic shelter as they wait to rebuild their homes.

23-year-old Estelle Adamson is one of the survivors. She and her 15 months old son stay in one of the tents which was provided to them by government and other well-wishers as she has no other place to call home. But according to Adamson, living in a tent has been unbearable and her toddler is also being affected by the condition which most of the times is occasioned by frequent coughs and shortness of breath.

"My child usually runs out of breath especially in the afternoon and he cries and coughs uncontrollably, with the heat, it is hard for us to seek shelter in it especially in the afternoon," she said.

Elsewhere, in Blantyre's Safalawo camp in Ndirande township, heart palpitation complaints from those living in the plastic shelter have become an order of the day.

White Phiri, is a survivor living at the camp and he acknowledges high temperatures as a trigger to instant heart palpitations and blood pressure.

"The condition is not conducive; I have been experiencing problems with heart palpitations and my condition has been worsening during hot temperatures. It is hard for me to stay for long in the tent," Phiri said.

We return to Katuma camp in Mulanje, 64-year-old Estelle Sambani raises similar concerns. "I am always forced to seek shelter somewhere else, because the heat in these tents is unbearable especially on a sunny day."

She adds that the condition also becomes worse in the evening and according to her, health personnel allegedly told her that her condition is being orchestrated by the environment she is in. "When I raised the concern to health authorities, I was openly told that my condition is due to the tent I am seeking shelter in," she said.

According to a March 2022 paper by the Minderoo Foundation, exposure to plastic-associated chemicals contributes to metabolic conditions such as obesity, diabetes and heart diseases.

The research also notes that those that live in plastic shelters for longer periods have a higher chance of developing serious health problems such as hypertension, hormone related cancers,neurodevelopmental disorders and in some cases infertility. This is due to some chemical additives contained in the plastic products.

But what is scientific evidence saying? Wilson Sawasawa is a Malawian Molecular Ecologist based in Belgium.

He argues that there is a correlation between the plastic material and human health, and those with underlying conditions are prone to get sick.

"There are some plastics depending on their material and they do emit substances and when they are heated up the molecules are excited and they release some odor and if someone inhales these odors it can cause some problems especially with their breathing systems," he says.

Sawasawa fears that the longer these people stay in plastic shelters, the riskier it becomes for their health, hence the need for authorities to closely monitor the population of the survivors.

"If they keep on staying there for a long period then they are being exposed to these substances and with time these substances will be accumulating and will have negative consequences on their health,".

Nonetheless, he says caution should be taken on the type of materials being used as some plastics are of low-quality material which is easy to release substances hazardous to human health.

"An action should be taken to either change the tents or perhaps relocate the people staying in these tents to better tents," he added.

The health hazard which the tents are posing on human health is an issue which government is aware of. "The environment is there as an emergency solution and we are working collaboratively to ensure that these people return to their normal lives," said Spokesperson for the Ministry of Health Adrian Chikumbe.

According to Chikumbe, resource constraints are barring them from addressing the needs of the survivors. "There are a lot of resources that are required at the moment and as such we are working collaboratively with various stakeholders," he said.

Malawi is ranked 147 on the Human Development Index. Being one of the poorest countries, the development is clearly brewing a health crisis, if not seriously and swiftly addressed, likely to cost us more in future.

Executive Director for Malawi Health Equity Network (MHEN) George Jobe has since implored on government to swiftly take action by running medical checkup on those affected, as they await financial bailout.