$86m boost for Idai housing construction

The release of the initial $86 million to fund the construction of more houses for people displaced by Cyclone Idai in Chimanimani is expected to help expedite their relocation to safer areas.

Treasury allocated $100 million towards the construction of houses for Cyclone Idai victims in the 2021 National Budget and the Department of Public Works will use the funds to build 70 more houses.

More than 170 families are living in tents at Arboretum, Garikai, Nyamatanda and Kopa camps where they were moved after their homes were swept away during Cyclone Idai, which ravaged Chimanimani, Chipinge and other parts of the country in 2019.

There have been delays in the construction of permanent homes for them owing to various challenges, including funding constraints.

Chimanimani East legislator Cde Joshua Sacco said the release of funds by Government will see the houses being completed sooner and have the displaced people moved urgently.

“Chimanimani now seems to be in the path of every cyclone, so we are really worried about our people in the tents,” he said.

“We appeal to Government to speed up the construction of the houses being built in Bumba and we are hopeful that the release of these funds will see the houses being completed sooner so that the people can live in better conditions.”

Cde Sacco said the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) had at one point pledged to come on board to put up prefabricated structures for the people displaced by the disaster.

He said the organisation should be engaged so that it can complement Government efforts, who in turn should quickly allocate people their stands.

The construction of the 70 new houses will bring the number of houses being constructed at Westend Farm in Bumba to 125 after the initial 55 houses that were already at various stages of construction.

About 20 are at roofing stage and the other 35 are expected to be completed by end of this month.

Public Works Department provincial head Mr Tendai Chiwanza said the funds from Government would go a long way to reduce the housing need for the displaced families.

“We have received $86 million which will be channelled towards 70 houses,” he said.

“We have started the procurement of materials and once these have been secured, work will start in earnest.”–herald.clz.w