The ManicaPost
Luthando Mapepa Chipinge Correspondent
PARLIAMENTARIANS have been urged to craft legislation that vouch for strict monitoring of rural resettlements to avoid situations where people dwell in dangerous and illegal areas.
The sentiments were raised by the Chipinge district administrator Mr William Mashava during a meeting with parliamentarians that visited Chipinge to assess the impact of Cyclone Idai, on Wednesday.
Mr Mashava said if villagers had been resettled in designated areas in Chipinge and Chimanimani districts, the impact of Cyclone Idai could have been minimal.
The cyclone killed more than 150 people while hundreds are missing and displaced.
“The hardest hit areas were those where people were residing in illegal and unsafe settlements.
Most of the villagers here had not built strong and permanent structures, which made them vulnerable to strong winds and rains emanating from Cyclone Idai. “We are also calling for forced evacuation of all those people living in illegal and dangerous places since Chipinge and Chimanimani are now prone to natural disasters. Last year we recorded an earthquake in the district and this year the district was ravaged by Cyclone Idai.
“Government should monitor rural settlements and ensure that rural structures meet a certain standard of strength to ensure the safety of the people,” said Mr Mashava.
Mr Mashava also appeals for the deployment of seismologists, geologists and forensic scientist to investigate the tremors that occurred in Chimanimani and Chipinge districts.
“We are calling for the deployment of experts to investigate what really happened. There are lots of unusual things that coupled Cyclone Idai, which might need to be interrogated by experts. These geological occurrences are behind the comprehension of the lay person, and hence require scientific investigation to unravel the hidden truth,” he added.
Speaking during the same meeting, Chipinge Rural District Council chief executive officer Mr Blessing Mamvosha appealed to government to expeditiously disburse funds to rehabilitate damaged roads.
“Various stakeholders have responded well by assisting us with machinery to repair the destroyed infrastructure, but there is need for more funds so that local authorities capitalise on the machinery before it is withdrawn,” said Mr Mamvosha.
