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Walter Nyamukondiwa Kariba Bureau
GOVERNMENT, through the Civil Protection Unit, is set to introduce the Disaster Risk Management Bill to revamp the country’s disaster preparedness and response in line with contemporary emergencies including climate change-induced disasters.

This comes as Government has partnered non-governmental organisations to establish evacuation centres in Chimanimani and Chipinge amid fears of similar weather conditions to those predicted last    season.

The Bill seeks to repeal the Civil Protection Act and will include contemporary issues such as radiation and seismology which are not covered in existing statutes.

In an interview, CPU director Mr Nathan Nkomo said the Bill will improve information on disasters and quantify the economic impact they are likely to   cause.

“That Bill is actually overhauling the civil protection system in Zimbabwe in that it is now including contemporary issues including radiation, seismology and climate change in general,” said Mr  Nkomo.

“The Civil Protection Act is an archaic Act of 1989 and when it was promulgated, some of the prevailing challenges we have as a result of climate change were not well pronounced. That is why we are coming up with the Bill.”

The Bill, he said, will also seek to improve management of information on disasters by harnessing technology which will help in building a strong case for increased funding as it will include data on economic losses suffered as a result of disasters.

It also seeks to fully integrate disaster risk reduction into the country’s development agenda.

He said the Principles of the Disaster Risk Management Bill are expected to be presented before Cabinet for approval this month before it goes for legal  drafting.

“For now we have a layman’s draft, and nature has taught us a big lesson and the weather forecast has come talking about some areas receiving normal to above normal rainfall. This is not very different from last season’s forecast. We should brace ourselves and do our contingency planning very well,” he said.

Turning to the establishment of evacuation centres in disaster-prone areas, Mr Nkomo said Government had partnered the Zimbabwe Red Cross Society and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) to establish such centres in Chimanimani and Chipinge “being the epicentres of the Cyclone Idai disaster”.

“I hope other partners will follow the example of the two non-governmental organisations partnering Government to establish such centres especially in flood- prone areas,” he said.

The country’s flood-prone areas include low-lying areas of Masvingo, Mbire, Muzarabani, Tsholotsho, Bulilima, Mangwe, northern and eastern parts of the country have been affected by  flooding.

Zimbabwe and other countries in the region have increasingly experienced climate change-related disasters including flooding and high temperatures with the latest and most devastating being Cyclone Idai which swept away entire villages in March.