150 Idai houses complete

More than 150 homes have been built to house Chimanimani family whose properties were devastated by Cyclone Idai. In March 2019, Cyclone Idai made landfall in Chimanimani and the neighboring districts, resulting in extensive damage and hundreds of displaced persons. The Cyclone Idai Runyararo Housing Project was started by the government in June 2020 at West End Farm in Chimanimani to give over 200 households permanent housing after the storm damaged their homes. Many families were forced to live in makeshift shelters or with relatives after losing their homes and means of support. The African Development Bank provided backing for the initiation of the Runyararo Housing Project. Mr. Gabriel Masvora, the communication and advocacy director for the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works, stated in an interview that, of the 258 homes that were supposed to be constructed as part of the Runyararo Housing Project in the Chimanimani district, 159 had been completed, and six more were in various states of completion. The project's main objective is to give people who were rendered homeless by Cyclone Idai permanent housing. Occupation of the well-built and weather-resistant houses began in 2021, with the beneficiaries also receiving a 6 000-square-metre plot. According to Mr. Masvora, the government has subsequently created a strategy to lessen the damaging impacts of weather-related catastrophes. "The Department of Civil Protection convenes multi-stakeholder multi-hazard contingency planning processes annually in preparation for hazards associated with the rainfall seasons, guided by seasonal forecasts issued by the Meteorological Services Department," he stated. The creation of disaster risk management plans, mapping of areas vulnerable to flooding and landslides, continuous community-based disaster risk management training, prepositioning of relief supplies, and the designation of evacuation centers by local communities for preemptive evacuation upon the issue of alerts are just a few of the actions that have been taken thus far. According to Mr. Masvora, the ministry also carries out education and awareness campaigns about the risks associated with rainfall, "including tropical cyclones among communities and the general population, using various channels of communication targeting prone areas and the country at large," in collaboration with other stakeholders. Contact Us Editorial: dion@vaka.co.zw Advertising: advertising@vaka.co.zw : news@vaka.co.zw Whatsapp: +263787980064