THE government plans to launch a project aimed at building it’s capacity to reduce disaster risks by enhancing preparedness.The five-year project dubbed “Building National and Local Capacities for Disaster Risk Management” will be implemented by the Ministry for Disaster Management and Refugee Affairs (Midmar). It will be funded by UNDP, World Bank, and the European Union at a tune of $8.8 million (Rwf5.7 billion).The project is also geared to improve coordination mechanisms for disaster management at both national and local levels, mainstream disaster risk reduction into districts plans, establish effective and operational early warning systems, reduce vulnerabilities and increase household’s resilience to disasters, Midmar said in a statement.The signing ceremony for the project is scheduled to take place this week in Kigali.The project, whose implementation is extended from 2013 to 2018 of builds upon the project initiation plan signed in 2011, and whose first phase implementation started in June 2012 and ended in June 2013, according to the ministry.Last year, 75 people died from disasters in risky zone areas in the country. This year alone, 58 people have died, prompting the government to launch relocation plan for people from high risk zones.The injured in the same period are around 150 people. About 10,000 houses were destroyed by the disasters which included floods and heavy storms countrywide.The construction of houses for 30,822 families meant to be resettled by September from areas regarded as prone to disasters across the country was launched in June by government.
