Govt in new bid to avert disasters

The Ministry of Disaster Preparedness and Refugees affairs will on November 5 launch a one-week sensitisation campaign to raise public awareness on prevention of disasters in the country. The campaign, to run through November 12, is part of broader government efforts to minimize disasters, including fire outbreaks and floods. This was announced by the Minister for Disaster Preparedness and Refugee Affairs Seraphine Mukantabana during a news conference in Kigali yesterday. She said the campaign will include public demonstrations on the use of fire extinguishers in case of a fire outbreak. The battle against fires and other disasters can only be successful with the involvement of the general public, the minister said. The campaign will run under the theme Prevent risk, build resilience to fire. Disasters claimed 76 lives between January and October, while 125 people were seriously injured, official figures show. Up to 1,725 houses and 1,183 hectares of plantations were also destroyed during the same period, causing billions of francs in losses. Fire outbreaks have so far been the most common disaster in recent days with 326 fires registered across the country since 2011. A national inquiry set to investigate causes behind the fire outbreaks found that 61 per cent of the fire incidents were due to short circuit, while 22 per cent were due to unknown causes. Mukantabana also said they will use the campaign to urge landlords and businesses to insure their property to avoid losses when disaster strikes. She wondered how one can insure their car worth Rwf3 million and fail to insure a Rwf20 million building. Meanwhile, government has again called on people dwelling in high-risk zones to relocate to safer areas to avoid loss of life as heavy rains approaches. Districts that are most prone to disasters during rainy seasons include Nyabihu, Rubavu , Rutsiro and Ngororero. editorial@newtimes.co.rw

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Govt in new bid to avert disasters