By STEVEN ZANDE –
THE Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit (DMMU) is developing an information system which will allow the country to prepare adequately for natural disasters.
DMMU national coordinator Patrick Kangwa said once completed, the programme would help the Government meet the needs of the people from vulnerable communities.
Mr Kangwa said this at the official launch of a two-day workshop in Lusaka yesterday, whose aim is to prepare a disaster loss database.
He said that Zambia did not have adequate information strategies on past natural disasters and lessons which had been learnt from the experiences.
“We are creating the disaster loss database which will feed into the global database. This will also assist in informing Government policy,” Mr Kangwa said.
He said the DMMU had progressed in developing the national disaster management information system in accordance with the Disaster Management Act of 2010.
United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) Africa risk knowledge programme officer Adam Fysh said Zambia’s economic growth, which had outstripped that of its neighbours, was prone to disturbance from natural disasters.
Mr Fysh said policy makers had a responsibility to implement policies which could protect lives and property.
He said ready and accurate information was important to efforts aimed at preventing and managing a recurrence of natural disasters such as floods.
Mr Fysh said UNISDR would help Zambian policy makers formulate strategies which could help safeguard the country’s various properties.