Local leaders and residents of disaster-prone districts of Rubavu, Ngororero and Nyabihu, Wednesday planted over 1,000 trees on hilly areas as part of efforts to prevent floods and disastrous landslides which have previously killed and displaced many.The residents also dug terraces to reduce the speed of flowing water when it rains.The initiative is one of last week’s recommendations made during Prime Minister Dr Pierre Damien Habumuremyi during a field visit of the affected areas."It is commendable that we jointly work together in supporting those who were affected. That is the essence of living harmoniously,” Adolf Mbonigaba, one of the residents, said during the communal exercise.Having not personally been affected, Mbonigaba said he managed to accommodate two of his neighbours whose house was severely damaged when the floods struck two weeks ago. One person is reported to have died.Most of the affected residents are those who live near the banks of Sebeya river, which usually bursts its banks due its shallowness caused by continuous soil erosion from the surrounding hills.It is common that during heavy rains, the river is easily filled up resulting into floods which end up destroying homes and property."We have established an environmental rebuff programme in this Sebeya area and this progressive approach will certainly help in combating the common environmental hazards,” said Ezechiel Nsengiyumva, Rubavu District Vice Mayor in charge of Economic Development.