Zim ups disaster management Eng Mlilo
Eng Mlilo

Eng Mlilo

Walter Nyamukondiwa in KADOMA
Government is developing a satellite generated flood management framework aimed at establishing proactive disaster risk management systems that will also influence future infrastructure development.

The framework comes at a time when the SADC secretariat on Disaster Risk Reduction is in the country to assess national disaster risk management.

Assessment of the country’s disaster risk management arsenal forms part of ongoing assessment of country specific systems which will in turn feed into the regional framework.

Studies have shown that at least 2 percent of households in the country are at high risk of flooding, with the exposure receding progressively in most parts of the country.

The framework is informed by previous flooding disasters such as the Tokwe Mukosi floods in 2014, where hundreds of people were affected and others displaced.

Local Government, Public Works and National Housing permanent secretary Engineer George Mlilo said the process to develop the Flood Plain Management Framework is at an advanced stage.

“Flooding is perhaps among the most manageable of all natural hazards that impact on Zimbabwe. With the application of modern technology and research, it can be determined how, where, when and why a flood occurs and who and what is likely to be affected,” said Eng Mlilo.

“I am proud to say that the process towards the development of a flood plain management framework is at an advanced stage.”

He was addressing a consultative meeting on the draft Flood Plain Management Framework review and the SADC national disaster risk management inventory in Kadoma last Friday.

The meeting drew participants from the Civil Protection Unit, SADC and UNDP representatives, local authorities, the Zambezi River Authority, representatives of research institutions including universities among others.

The process began in 2015, headed by the Department of Civil Protection and the National Civil Protection Committee.

Eng Mlilo said responses to disaster exigencies such as the current El Nino-induced drought have often diverted the nation from comprehensively managing disaster risk.

Department of Civil Protection acting director Mrs Sibusisiwe Ndlovu said the framework was developed with the assistance of a consultant and the meeting sought adopt and fine tune some of the proposals before it is forwarded to the Cabinet committee on disaster management and preparedness.

“The framework is based on a geo-database which uses modern technology to better understand flooding, its mitigation and preparedness.

“It depicts the extent of flooding based on satellite generates information,” said Mrs Ndlovu.

SADC disaster risk reduction liaison expert Ms Segametsi Moatchaping hailed the country’s disaster risk management systems, saying they will help other countries in the region craft their own.

“We are here to assess the disaster risk management inventory of the country so that we fulfil one of our mandates, which is to capacitate member states in the region on disaster management, planning and prevention mechanisms,” she said.

Ms Moatchaping said the inventory is a catalogue of services which will help the CPU to co-ordinate stakeholders and also provide case studies for other countries in the SADC bloc.

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