BY METHEMBE SIBANDA DISASTER management experts have lamented lack of funding to support proactive measures to deal with natural disasters in the country.
This came after communities in Manicaland, Chimanimani and other parts of Matabeleland provinces were ravaged by natural disasters such as flooding and cyclones due to lack of preparedness.
Speaking at a two-day national dialogue programme by Action Aid Zimbabwe on disaster management, consultant disaster risk management specialist Emmanuel Mavhura said: “Government must review existing funding mechanisms and allocations for disaster management in the country. The magnitude of disasters in the country was increasing, but there was no funding to help prevent and mitigate them.
“The magnitude of disasters is actually increasing, but we do not have funding. What we have seen till now is case by case management.”
He added: “When Cyclone Idai hit Zimbabwe, government mobilised funding. That funding was for response and not for proactive measures. That is a problem because funding is never adequate. There should be some mechanisms through which funding should be raised. Currently, we do not have clear mechanisms through which disaster funding is extracted from the national budget.”
Mavhura urged local authorities to play a part in natural disaster management. Urban Councils Association of Zimbabwe chairperson, Tserayi Machinda urged government to desist from relying on external funding for its disaster response programmes.
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“We need a budget that is specifically for response to disasters. These budgets should be allocated through local authority budgets, the funds must train people to research on disasters. We urge government to establish a disaster management fund,” Machinda said.