Fourteen districts with households in need of urgent relocation from high-risk zones have been identified, The New Times has learnt.

The districts include Rubavu, Karongi, Rutsiro, Ngororero, Nyabihu, Burera, Rusizi, Rulindo, Gicumbi, Gakenke, Nyamasheke, Nyamagabe, Musanze, and Muhanga.

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Phillipe Habinshuti, the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry in charge of Emergency Management (MINEMA), said the households will get free residential houses while others will be facilitated to build their own houses.

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The 4,309 households in high-risk zones were relocated since October 2023, amid heavy rain season and are temporarily being sheltered.

"There are 432 households in six districts that managed to get their own plots of land and what we have to do is build houses for them,” he said.

He said there are other houses destroyed or damaged by disasters although they are not in high-risk zones.

These houses will be constructed in a way that they are resilient, he said.

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"The houses are located in residential zones. We will provide support to rehabilitate them. We will provide them with construction materials and builders,” he said.

Habinshuti said destitute families will be given plots of land and houses in model villages being constructed.

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Rubavu district has designated three sites, totaling 16 hectares, for the construction of model villages to accommodate families affected by the recent flooding of River Sebeya.

The urgent relocation of families from high-risk zones is timely as Rwanda Meteorology Agency (RMA) earlier warned that expected rainfall of 30 to 250 millimetres in January could lead to flooding in certain areas of the country. Likely impacts are flooding, soil erosion, and landslides in flood-prone areas.

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Preparedness and mitigation measures should be put in place to minimise impacts that may be caused by the expected rains, the forecaster said.

The heavy rain-related flooding and landslides are causing havoc across the country destroying houses and infrastructure, crops, killing and injuring people.

Heavy rain-related disasters killed 11 people and injured 42 between January 1 and January 15, 2024.

The disasters damaged 172 houses, 22 hectares of crops, and killed 3,017 livestock. Nine classrooms, five road sections, and four bridges were also destroyed.

The most affected districts include Burera, Gakenke, Gasabo, Gatsibo, Gicumbi, Gisagara, Huye, Kicukiro, Kirehe, Muhanga, Ngororero, Nyagatare, Nyamagabe, Nyamasheke, Nyanza, Nyarugenge, Nyaruguru, Rubavu, Ruhango, Rulindo, Rusizi, Rutsiro, and Rwamagana.

In general, from October 2023 to January 15, 2024, disasters injured 98 people, killed 28 people and 3,542 livestock. About 170 houses and 500 hectares of crops, 75 classrooms, and 15 transmission lines, were damaged.

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The government is seeking Rwf518.58 billion (approximately$415 million) to facilitate the recovery from the extensive physical and economic losses inflicted by floods and landslides in 2023, as per the comprehensive landslides and floods damage assessment conducted by the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning.

The post-disaster needs assessment identified the infrastructure sector as requiring approx. Rwf388 billion to re-establish economic activities, employment opportunities, social protection, and food security.

The social sector necessitates approx. Rwf108 billion, while the productive sectors, including agriculture, trade, and industry, require approx. Rwf14 billion for a full recovery.

Additionally, cross-cutting needs such as disaster risk management, gender equality, and social protection call for approximately Rwf8 billion.

The evaluation further revealed that the floods caused damages and losses amounting to an estimated Rwf222.31 billion ($193.32 million).

The transport sector suffered the most significant impact, accounting for nearly 60 per cent of the total damages and losses, followed by the housing sector at 12 per cent, environment and water resources management at 12 per cent, and health sector losses estimated at 8 per cent.