KIGALI, Oct. 15 (Xinhua) -- Rwandan Minister of Emergency Management Germaine Kamayirese on Tuesday called for cooperation to cope with natural disasters during the rainy period.
All stakeholders from decision-makers to beneficiaries and the community at large should fully get involved in the effective implementation of disaster risk reduction measures, said Kamayirese at a meeting in Kigali, the capital city of Rwanda.
She called on Rwandans living in "high risk zones" to move to safe areas and urged the public to improve drainage systems, construct terraces and follow proper house construction guidelines among other measures to reduce the impact of natural disasters.
About 35,000 people out of 1.6 million Kigali residents resided in high risk zones of the city, said Rwanda Housing Authority earlier this month.
According to Kamayirese, floods, landslides, rainstorms and windstorms triggered by heavy rains and droughts are the main disasters affecting Rwandans.
At least 70 people were killed and 177 others injured by natural disasters triggered by heavy rains across the country in the first nine months this year, according to a disaster assessment report released by the Ministry of Emergency Management.
