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Elita Chikwati Harare Bureau
THE Civil Protection Unit has sought assistance from the Airforce of Zimbabwe and humanitarian organisations to assist flood victims in different parts of the country.
The floods that occurred over the weekend affected Mbire, Gokwe and Zvimba among other areas killing 11 people and leaving hundreds homeless.
People in the affected areas are in need of shelter and safe water for domestic use.
Alerts from the Zimbabwe Red Cross Society stated that over 700 households had been affected by the floods countrywide.
According to the ZRCS alerts, the rain-induced emergencies require humanitarian intervention.
The organisation said it will continue monitoring the situation while strategising on response mechanisms together with CPU.
Some flood victims have blamed government for being ill-prepared when it comes to floods but acting Minister of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing, Joseph Made yesterday said government was committed to saving the lives of people struck by disasters and was working with different ministries and civic organisations to assist flood victims.
Made said the civil division was made up of different entities that played different roles to ensure safety of the public.
“Government gives priority to saving human life no matter the nature of the calamity. This is the reason why the CPU preparedness is in multiple forms.
“It allocates resources but we also have other agencies chief among them, the Red Cross Society and the UN who assist us in training people on what to do when disaster strikes. Japan has also been assisting us in capacity building on civil people,” he said.
Minister Made said security agencies were also crucial in saving human lives as they had the essential skills.
“The budget on disaster management should not only be looked on in terms of money but materials. Sometimes the situation is overwhelming and we take a comprehensive approach.
“We wish the CPU could have its own helicopter but we should also not overlook the capabilities of those doing the work. The army has massive experience. All the agencies that fall under the civil division have vast experience in saving human life. A very special skill resides in those entities,” he said.
CPU director, Madzudzo Pawadyira said CPU had received money from Treasury for disaster management.
“The commitment to assist people is there and that is why our teams in the districts were able to respond swiftly to the disaster and offer immediate assistance,” he said.
CPU officers in some of these affected areas were instructed to use tractors as the 4×4 vehicles they had could not pass through the destroyed roads and bridges.
He said the teams will also be relying on advice from the Meteorological Services Department.
“We have sought assistance from the Airforce of Zimbabwe to provide a suitable aircraft so that we can assess the situation on the ground. We have advised our teams in the affected districts to make use of tractors instead of their 4×4 vehicles to access the affected areas,” said Pawadyira.
He said they had appealed for humanitarian assistance from the ZRCS, International Organisation for Migration and UN agencies to enable them to quickly restore order.
Pawadyira said the affected people in different areas were in need of shelter.
The floods washed away bridges in Gokwe North and South.
“In Gokwe North, a bridge was washed away rendering Chireya Mission Hospital inaccessible. We have tasked engineers in the area to attend to the issue so that people can easily access the hospital. In Gokwe South, a bridge, 18 kilometres after Gokwe Centre was also damaged.
“In Chief Chirau area in Zvimba, 15 huts had their roofs damaged while in Mbire, Makuwatsine School was flooded. The teachers and the members of the community struggled to save computers and other electrical appliances,” he said.
Pawadyira said five boreholes in Mbire were overwhelmed by the floods and the water was contaminated.
In Muzarabani valley, rains have subsided but the CPU is still on alert.
Pwadyira said the rainfall activity was manageable and this would allow humanitarian assistance.
Meanwhile, the Meteorological Services Department has warned of a likely health hazard as a result of the heavy falls.
The department’s forecaster, John Mupuro advised members of the public against drinking water from unprotected water sources without boiling it as there is a high possibility of contamination resulting in cholera, diarrhoea and typhoid.
“This is particularly the case for urban areas where water has been scarce. In the next few days there will be many pools of stagnant water, creating conditions conducive for malaria producing mosquitoes to breed,” he said.
Online Reporter