National geo spatial mapping exercise complete

GOVERNMENT has completed the national geo spatial mapping exercise to inform its future resettlement plans to ensure that people are not settled in areas prone to disasters, a senior official has said.

After Cyclone Idai hit Manicaland province in March this year, Cabinet tasked the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Education to conduct the geo spatial mapping exercise to identify habitable and inhabitable areas.

In an interview yesterday, Civil Protection Unit (CPU) director Mr Nathan Nkomo said the Ministry has completed the mapping exercise which will inform Government departments on relocation of people.

“I’m glad that Cabinet in its wisdom created a very important task team headed by the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development which has done some mapping to make sure that we know where we cannot resettle our people. The mapping was done and is now complete.

“Each time our Spatial Planning Department (formerly Department of Physical Planning) come up with a layout plan, we should then be able to transpose the geo spatial plan done by the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development on every layout plan that we are going to develop from now on to make sure that it’s safe to resettle people in that area,” said Mr Nkomo.

He said geo spatial mapping would improve the country’s emergency preparedness.

Mr Nkomo said the CPU would disseminate information to people in remote areas through traditional leaders.

“In the past, some communities have been affected by disasters due to lack of relevant information for them to make informed decisions on time.

“We are not reinventing the wheel but we are harnessing an existing structure as far as information dissemination is concerned,” he said. — @nqotshili