The ministry of Disaster Management and Refugee Affairs (MIDIMAR) has announced plans to set up a special disaster management fund for mitigation and response purposes.

The initiative is designed under provisions of the new disaster management legislation, enacted last year, with focus on prevention, response and rehabilitation programmes.

Addressing journalists in Kigali on Thursday, Minister Seraphine Mukantabana said the special fund will supplement the annual budgetary government allocation toward disasters.

The fund will be supported by government, stakeholders and donors.

Mukantabana said the new initiative was reached after realising that natural and human induced disasters continue to cause havoc in the country, with limited means of combating them.

Figures show that in 2013, 112 people died due to disasters, 124 were injured, while 3,934 houses and 2,200 ha of crops were damaged.

In 2014, disasters killed 76 people and191 domestic animals, injured 125 while 1,725 houses and 1,183 hectares of crops were destroyed.

In 2015, 94 people and 93 animals were killed by disasters, 122 people were injured whereas 1,675 houses and 240 hectares of crops were destroyed.

This year, four people and nine cattle have died, 25 people injured, 112 hectares of crops, 424 houses, 14 classrooms have been destroyed.

Two commercial buildings, three roads and one health centre have also been destroyed.

"We are in final process of issuing a ministerial order for the fund establishment. It will be another strategy for quick response and recovery from disaster effects,” the minister said.

New disaster categories

The fund will be used to respond to different disaster events, according to Jean Baptiste Nsengiyumva, the director of disaster risk reduction and preparedness at MIDIMAR.

Depending on the nature of the emergency, different response plans will be on table.

Disasters that surpass national financial capacity and require at least a year’s response work will be responded to by MIDIMAR and its stakeholders in a period lasting 90 days, while response works for disasters in districts will be covered by local government budget and its stakeholders within 60 days.

The sectors will respond to less severe disasters within 30 days.

Meanwhile, Mukantabana said government will establish new disaster management organs and committees from national to sector levels to facilitate faster response.

Under the new arrangement, each district will be required to set aside funds to respond to lesser disasters and government institutions will have to mainstream disaster mitigation budget in their planning.

This, the ministry says, will minimise unnecessary costs on transport and mission fees during assessment tours.

Mukantabana said capacity building training is being provided to district disaster risk analysts to coordinate and discover risks in conjunction with other institutions while district disaster management plans have already been availed in 20 districts.

Mandatory insurance

In addition, the minister said it is now mandatory for buildings and other public facilities to get property insurance.

She stressed the need to extend insurance cover to agriculture, animals and other property exposed to disasters to avoid total losses in case of disasters.

"In our efforts to cope with disaster effects, it becomes a challenge for us when their properties are not insured.

We can provide basic needs like shelter, beds and others but we cannot restore capital or the whole property. It leads to big loss if huge businesses and infrastructure, crops and animal firms are destroyed by disasters but not recovered due to lack of insurance. That is why it became mandatory,” Mukantabana said.

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