Editor,It’s now more than a year since a fully fledged ministry in charge of disaster management and refugee affairs (MIDIMAR) was created. Rwanda’s topography is prone to disasters, especially earthquakes and floods. However, with proper planning and thorough preparation, these disasters could either be averted or at least mitigated.Nonetheless, we don’t seem to be stemming these problems even when the government has set up a ministry in charge of this. Residents hardly look better prepared than they were before, and the losses suffered over the recent weeks, including loss of lives, is a demonstration of slow progress.It is critical that the ministry is seen to be getting its job right. Yes, other institutions should render support, but the primary responsibility should rest on the shoulders of the MIDIMAR stalwarts.We should not resign to fate and expect to lose lives every other year from the very issues that we can ably address beforehand.Peter Mukarage,Kacyiru
