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Sukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu, Gwanda Correspondent
THE Government, through the Ministry of Environment, Water and Climate has handed over early warning radios to all District Civil Protection Units (CPUs) committees nationwide that will be used for disaster risk reduction.

Matabeleland South Provincial Meteorological Officer, Mr Rodgers Munyira said more radios were expected which will be distributed to the CPU committees and communities.

He said CPU committees from all provinces had benefited except Harare and Bulawayo provinces.

“The Ministry of Environment, Water and Climate through the Meteorological Department has distributed early warning radios to CPU committees in eight provinces across the country excluding Harare and Bulawayo.

Other provinces were giving each district seven radios but we gave our districts six each and reserved eight for the provincial committee.

“The distribution started last month and this is just the first phase as we expect more radios to be availed to our department soon and then we will hand them over to the committees in order to increase the number and then to communities,” he said.

Mr Munyira said the radios were going to be used to warn communities of impending hazards. He said at community level the radios will be distributed at ward level and focal people will be identified and trained to handle them.

Mr Munyira said the system will help prepare communities for hazards thereby reducing risk of loss of life and damage to property among other effects of hazards.

He urged CPU committees and community members to put the radios to good use as they were an important tool for communication.

“Meteorology contributes to about 80 percent of hazards experienced by communities. As a department we will use these radios to communicate warnings and CPU committees will be involved in sending these messages to communities and also communicate expected reaction.

“For example, if we are expecting floods we will warn people and tell them to move to higher ground. The province of Matabeleland South experiences a number of hazards such as floods, thunderstorms and hailstorms and this communication system will assist,” he said.

Gwanda District Administrator, Mr Judge Dube said the initiative to distribute early warning radios will go a long way in improving communication between communities and CPU committees.

He said some areas were inaccessible because of poor road network while others did not have network coverage and the radios will overcome such barriers.

He appealed to the Ministry of Environment, Water and Climate to avail more radios so that each ward has a radio before the start of the rainy season.

@DubeMatutu