The Sunday Mail
Government should immediately formulate a comprehensive programme of relocating villagers living in flood-prone areas instead of waiting to react to tragedy, analysts have said.
Almost every year, Zimbabwe awakens to news of flooding in low lying areas.
However, the authorities are yet to act decisively on the matter, though lives have been lost and homes destroyed.
Analysts believe villagers in the affected areas – who continue resisting relocation – should be compelled to move.
This season, 10 people have died while over 2 000 families are now homeless owing to massive floods.
Infrastructure such as schools, hospitals and private property has not been spared, and the damage is estimated to have topped millions of dollars.
The Civil Protection Unit has described this year’s disaster as the “worst in years”.
The affected provinces include Mashonaland West, Mashonaland Central, Mashonaland East, Midlands, Harare, Masvingo and Manicaland.
A Cabinet committee on civil protection, headed by Local Government, Public Works and National Housing Minister Ignatius Chombo, will meet early this week to assess the requirements of the flood victims and affected areas.
Urban and rural planning experts who spoke to The Sunday Mail urged Government to relocate communities prone to such disasters.
Zimbabwe Institute of Regional and Urban Planners vice president Mr Percy Toriro said relocation was the only sustainable solution.
He said the country should draw up a sustainable disaster management master plan that can be used in the event of similar disasters.
“The most sustainable way of dealing with this problem is to ensure that the areas that are prone to flooding should not be allocated to people,” said Mr Toriro.
“These people should be relocated immediately because there is no reason why we should let people settle in such areas. Authorities should carry out public awareness campaigns in areas that traditionally face the problem.
“The awareness campaigns will entail teaching people about ways to seek alternative and safer shelter whenever there is a flood warning.”
He added: “There is also need for a national plan which ensures that when disasters of such magnitude strike we have solutions and we do not lose lives.
“On the part of the CPU, it should be capacitated by adding more human resources, it should be a full-fledged arm with its own resources and a proper budget.”
Urban and rural development expert Dr Sasha Jogi said authorities should carry out long-term flood assessment surveys in areas they may intend to resettle people in.
“There is need to change our settlement plans, especially now that the rainfall patterns have changed. People should not settle below a certain river contour which may endanger their lives,” said Dr Jogi.
“There is also need for river basin planning which determines how people should be settled as well as how our dams and bridges are designed. With assistance from organisations such as the UN, the CPU, Government needs to carry out 25; 50 or 100 year flood measurement surveys to determine where people can settle now that rainfall patterns are changing.
“But above all, Government should relocate people in these areas that have been affected by floods recently to avoid the further loss of lives.”
CPU director Mr Madzudzo Pawadyira told The Sunday Mail that his unit supported relocation.
He said a countrywide assessment had revealed that there are structural damages to infrastructure such as bridges, rail networks and roads.
Mr Pawadyira, however, claimed that most of the damage was not caused by rains and flooding but was a result of poor maintenance.
He defended his organisation’s reaction to the disasters, saying it is doing “all it can”.
“Each year we receive weather forecast information from the Met Dept showing areas that are likely to be affected by floods. We then send our teams to the areas to initiate safety and awareness programmes as well as identify higher ground which will be used as temporary shelter by the villagers in the event of flooding.
“As the CPU we are always prepared for floods but we are operating in a very difficult environment. We have limited resources due to the economic challenges the country is facing and as a result, we might have the best plans on paper but they cannot be implemented when there are no resources.
“There is need for people in areas such as Muzarabani, Mbire and other flood-prone areas to be relocated, but this cannot be done by CPU on its own. Government has to intervene.”
