HUMAN Rights activists in Masvingo province have challenged the government to come up with long-term plans to protect citizens from the effects of floods.
Speaking during a virtual meeting on Tuesday in the aftermath of Tugwi Mukosi Dam spilling recently, Zimbabwe Human Rights (ZimRights) provincial coordinator Thomas Mbetu said it was high time the government drafted a long-term master plan that would stay in place in case of any flood-related disaster and other natural calamities.
“This is the fourth time the country is faced by such a tragedy, particularly the Tugwi Mukosi Dam disaster in Masvingo Province. The government should by now have drawn lessons from the previous years and drawn a master plan that clearly shows a plan on how to rescue victims and map a way forward to avoid or reduce effects of the disasters,” Mbetu said.
Speaking on the same programme, human rights lawyer Martin Mureri said the government should have a plan to uphold human rights during disasters.
“The government should come up with comprehensive measures towards the protection of human rights each time floods or any other disaster sweeps through the country,” Mureri said as he called on authorities to move to safety people living downstream of Tugwi Mukosi Dam.
This conversation comes at a time when Tugwi Mukosi Dam, which is the largest inland dam, spilled last week—the second time this has happened since it was commissioned in 2017— having overflowed for the first time in January 2021.
by
Tamary Chikiwa
in ZVISHAVANE