by Chiedza Muswe
Government is planning on constructing sustainable settlement patterns for Cyclone Idai victims and early warning systems, Minister of State for Manicaland Provincial Affairs and Devolution has said.
Minister of State for Manicaland Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Dr Ellen Gwaradzimba said this whilst addressing Cyclone Idai victims from Zimbabwe, Malawi, Mozambique and invited NGOs during a National Association of Non-Governmental Organizations (NANGO) workshop on Cyclone Idai disaster that was held in Mutare from, 2 to 4 March 2020.
Speaking at the NANGO workshop, Dr Gwaradzimba said the workshop was part of SADCs regional dialogue on the first anniversary of Cylone Idai disaster experienced in March last year.
The Minister also said that there is need to focus on restoration and rehabilitation of infrastructure such as roads and bridges. She urged people to come up with mitigating strategies in light of the prevailing climate change in the region.
Cyclone Idai hit the Eastern parts of Zimbabwe, parts of Mozambique and Malawi in March last year, leaving disastrous damage in the three countries. Apart from killing hundreds of people in this area, Chimanimani lost infrastructure (homes, schools, business premises, crops, bridges, and roads).
Government together with the help of fellow SADC countries and countries from other regions as well as Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), have been working towards rebuilding all areas that were destroyed by the deadly cyclone, since April last year
The process of building new structures as well as rehabilitating the damaged infrastructure began after Government issued contracts for the reconstruction to local and international companies.
The South African National Defence Forces (SANDF) managed to help towards the reconstruction process, as they built two belly bridges in the Kopa area in Chimanimani district where Cyclone Idai mostly affected the infrastructure.
World Bank pledged to provide a grant to fund the Zimbabwe Idai Recovery Project (ZIRP) which provided immediate support for the affected communities across the nine districts. ZIRP is also focusing on rebuilding community infrastructure and restoring livelihoods through cash transfers, restoring agricultural crops and livestock production, and revitalizing basic healthcare services.
The Post Cyclone Idai Emergency Recovery and Resilience Project (PCIREP), focuses on rebuilding key infrastructure across Zimbabwe. African Development Bank (AfDB) is funding the project as it is helping restore essential services including transport, electricity, water and sanitation to the severely affected communities in the districts of Chimanimani and Chipinge in Manicaland province.
The Chinese Government also offered to rehabilitate all roads washed away by Cyclone Idai in Chimanimani at its own cost and it has already contracted six private Asian companies to carry out the project.
Zimbabwe was not spared in the 2015 to mid-2016 years, where the El Nino-induced drought also hit hard.
United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) has pledged to work closely with Government of Zimbabwe to implement the PCIREP and increase Government’s capacity to manage emergencies in the future.
