happiness ChikwanhaSenior Reporter
The Civil Protection Unit has approached Treasury seeking money to buy fire-fighting equipment from India after it emerged only three local authorities countrywide have the capacity to deal with fire disasters.This was revealed by CPU director, Mr Madzudzo Pawadyira, when he appeared before the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Local Government, Rural and Urban Development yesterday.
“We are negotiating with the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development to see if we can benefit from a bilateral agreement with India to purchase fire fighting machinery as there is a big gap on the ground which we need to fill,” Mr Pawadyira said.
Speaking in the same committee Local Government, Public Works and National Housing secretary Mr Killian Mpingo, said only Harare,
Bulawayo and Kwekwe had a the capacity to deal with fire disasters.
“Only three councils, Kwekwe, Harare and Bulawayo can deliver. We hosted the United Nations World Tourism Organisation recently and we had to commandeer fire-fighting equipment from Bulawayo to Victoria Falls,” he said.
Mr Mpingo said this had also left Bulawayo exposed.
He added that the CPU itself had no equipment and said Zimbabwe was the only country in the region that had not paid serious attention to civil protection.
Online Reporter