The Sunday News
Walter Mswazie in MASVINGO
ABOUT 60 percent of the infrastructure destroyed by Cyclone Idai in Bikita in March this year has been restored through concerted efforts from the Government and non-governmental organisations (NGOs), an official has said.
In Masvingo, Bikita was the most affected out of four districts in the province hit by the natural weather phenomena which killed four people and left a trail of destruction on major infrastructure in the province.
Its huge impact was in Manicaland where it left 300 people dead, more than 300 missing and over 5 000 families homeless in Chimanimani and Chipinge districts.
Speaking on the sidelines of a five-day capacity building workshop for Bikita District Civil Protection team organised by Batanai HIV and Aids Service Organisation (BHASO) at a local hotel last week, District Development Co-ordinator (DDC) Mr Bernard Hadzirambwi said a lot of ground had been covered in the restoration of damaged infrastructure that include schools, clinics and homes that were damaged by the cyclone.
“We have restored at least 60 percent of the damaged infrastructure in the whole district, courtesy of Government and NGOs. More than 600 families were left with completely and partially destroyed homes. At the moment most homes have been reconstructed and no family is sleeping in the open.”
He, however, said there was still some work to be done as people’s lives have not been completely restored to their original state with other families still having temporary tents at their homesteads.
“We are happy with the progress that has been made so far in terms of reconstruction of damaged homes, clinics and rehabilitation of roads. We also have schools with classroom blocks that have been attended to. However, there is still some work to be done, as some families still use temporary tents for accommodation, we still need more assistance,” he said.
Mr Hadzirambwi said the workshop comprising 35 members of the District Civil Protection was meant to equip participants with relevant disaster preparedness skills, drawing lessons from Cyclone Idai.
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