AT least 32 000 people are at risk of flooding in the Tokwe Murkosi area in Masvingo province due to the rising water levels, Parliament heard yesterday.
VENERANDA LANGA
Civil Protection Unit (CPU) director Madzudzo Pawadyira yesterday told the Parliamentary thematic committee on peace and security chaired by Mashonaland Central Senator Damian Mumvuri that his department was allocated a mere $450 000 in the 2014 National Budget when they needed $5 million to deal with disasters.
Pawadyira said on Wednesday, the CPU received $75 000 from Treasury at a time when the whole country is affected by natural disasters like flooding, windstorms, lightening and even landslides during the current rainy season.
He said the hardest hit was Tokwe Murkosi area in Chivi where 4 000 families needed evacuation,adding that 32 000 people were at risk, 18 746 cattle needing evacuation.
Among those affected, 18 176 were children at primary school and 2 299 secondary school children.
“The dam planners had thought it was logical to phase the removal of the people affected by the dam construction with 1 247 families moved in phase one, 1 878 families in phase two, and 3 268 families moved in phase three,” Pawadyira said.
He said when people got their relocation packages, they sat on their laurels and did not move out and now their homes were being marooned and submerged in water while they watched.
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Since December last year, 75 families are said to have been affected by lightning in Mount Darwin with two toddlers drowning at Chadereka River in Centenary.
Four people were also said to have been struck by lightning in Gokwe with three dying in January, and classroom blocks and clinic roofs blown by wind.
Pawadyira said in Binga, 50 electricity poles were damaged by heavy thunderstorms, while Shamva district was affected by landslides where a homestead was buried in Domboshava with one person dying and two people getting seriously injured.
Other places affected are Chiredzi and Masvingo where 12 fishermen were marooned and in Bulawayo where three houses were destroyed by fire.
In Matabeleland South, five homesteads were destroyed by rains, while in Matabeleland North (Tsholotsho) homesteads succumbed to moisture.
