by Patson Phiri – SANF 06 No 32
Southern Africa is strengthening regional cooperation in disaster management with member states extending rescue efforts to neighbouring countries.
The latest example of cross-border cooperation during disasters was shown when Zimbabwe assisted Zambia to evacuate more than 200 people displaced by floods that hit Kazungula district.
Zimbabwe sent its rescue teams and helicopters to help in the evacuation process to bring relief to the displaced villagers and help in the reconstruction of destroyed property. Several families were left homeless, with their food, crops and livestock destroyed.
Zambia was hit by floods from 9-20 March and immediately lodged an appeal with the Zimbabwean government, which quickly dispatched personnel and equipment. A combined team of Zambian and Zimbabwean air force officers rescued stranded villagers.
The floods hit southern Zambia when the banks of Ngwezi river, one of the biggest tributaries of the Zambezi river, burst following persistent rains.
“This is as it should be. We thank Zimbabwe Air Force who have come to give us assistance and they will be there to see the extent of the damage. It is a very tragic event,” said Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa when he toured the affected villages in Kazungula district in the south of the country.
“We were crying for rainfall but rains came and brought untold misery to the people.”
It was sad, Mwanawasa said, for the country to experience destruction from the rain when everybody hoped for good rainfall that could result in good harvest.
Mwanawasa was happy that the situation had been contained with help from Zimbabwe and local teams.
Southern Africa has experienced several natural disasters, ranging from droughts, floods and the recent earthquake that shook five countries – Mozambique, Malawi, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
In 2000, a major flood hit Botswana, Mozambique, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe and displaced thousands of people. The disaster overstretched health and relief facilities.
This prompted leaders of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to come up with a framework for cooperation in managing disasters such as floods and droughts, noting that this is an integral part of the overall regional development initiatives.
A technical committee was established and a SADC Disaster Management Strategy was developed with the support of the United Nations Development Programme.
Other efforts to educate citizens on disasters in the region are spearheaded by the SADC Drought Monitoring Centre, established in 1990 to inform the region on the threats of disasters but lack of funds has hampered its effectiveness.
The centre promotes technical and scientific capacity, produces and disseminates climate forecast information in strategic sectors such as agriculture, health, energy and water resources, as well as disaster mitigation.
The situation remains unpredictable especially with lack of capacity for early warning systems on the adverse weather effects in the SADC region.
Member states are increasingly resting their hopes on the spirit of regional cooperation.
Lack of resources prevents southern Africa from shifting from a culture of reaction to hazards to one of risk management and prevention, and regional cooperation is seen as the best safeguard.
Environmental experts say natural disasters are part of the natural environment and cannot be stopped. They prescribe that preventive measures at various levels of society are critical to make the impact of such natural hazards less harmful when they occur.
