UN agencies and the government of Rwanda are seeking ways to jointly strengthen disaster response efforts and ensure resilience of the population in case of disasters in the country.

This was announced by Lamin Manneh, the UN resident coordinator, on Tuesday during a joint field visit in Gakenke District.

The visit aimed at assessing the progress of implementing activities done in response to recent disasters that hit the area.

Landslides earlier this year killed 34 people, destroyed infrastructure and left 1,355 people homeless in the district.

The district has since embarked on implementing strategies to minimise the effects of disasters, including terracing and draining marshlands.

The ongoing activities inspected include repair and rehabilitation of 18 damaged community bridges, rehabilitation of water supply systems, distribution of food to affected people (maize, beans, vegetable oil and salt), construction of bridges among other activities.

Manneh said that more efforts are still needed to set strategies to ensure proper natural disaster management, quick recovery and resilience of the population.

He affirmed UN agencies commitment to partnering with the government to protect citizens from disasters.

"Today’s joint field visit helps us witness the progress of the project funded by UN Rwanda in response to the landslides which unfortunately led to deaths of many people as well as destruction of infrastructures like bridges, farm lands, and roads. Some activities are being implemented in partnership with Rwanda Defense Force Reserves, NGOs, as well as local population and we are impressed by the progress,” he said.

He pledged more support in draining marshlands, rehabilitating, and also funding modern village where more people could be safe and protected.

Seraphine Mukantabana, the Minister for Disaster Management and Refugee Affairs, commended residents for participating in the implementation of activities, appealing to them to work for self –reliance.

"We appreciate the progress on the implementation of activities. Local leaders should closely monitor the projects to ensure their completion ahead of December deadline,” Mukantabana said.

"Sometimes we need support but we should not look dependent on it. Beneficiaries should learn from the last incident and be ready to prevent similar suffering in future,” she said.

"Residents should not wait for the leaders to come and remind them of what happened but they have to be vigilant. People still living in high risk zones should heed the advice to relocate,”

Jean Claude Musabyimana, the Northern Province Governor, told the residents not to be overcome by despair but work hard to overcome the hard times.

Residents speak

Venantie Kabanyana, recalled that they had lost hope after disasters but commended government and relief agencies for providing timely support.

Francois Musabende said the new bridge is better unlike the old one which was constructed using wooden materials.

He added that they are happy to have marshland drained which enables them to conduct farming activities easily.

editorial@newtimes.co.rw