Disaster legislation: a critical review of the Civil Protection Act of Zimbabwe

Emmanuel Mavhura ()

Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, 2016, vol. 80, issue 1, 605-621

Abstract: Human suffering has increased in recent years as a result of increased frequency and intensity of disasters. The disaster impacts are expected to rise in the coming years due to increased vulnerability to natural hazards. Admittedly, human risk to natural hazards cannot be eliminated completely, but it can be reduced through systematic disaster risk reduction (DRR) approaches that can be scientifically applied for minimising vulnerability and building resilience in nations through multi-sectoral and multi-dimensional measures. Using the Hyogo Framework for Action 2005–2015 Priority 1, this paper analysed the current disaster legislation in Zimbabwe: the Civil Protection Act of 1989 (Chapter 10:06) to identify its strengths and limitations in building community resilience to disasters. A textual analysis approach was employed together with key informant interviews with senior public officials on all levels of government, non-governmental organisations and the academia engaged in DRR. The study found out that the Act falls short of building national and community resilience to disasters. Some of the key weaknesses of the Act include: inactive community participation in DRR, unavailability of dedicated and adequate resources to implement DRR programmes, centralisation of power and resources, and the focus on ‘natural’ hazards rather than on vulnerability and resilience. As such, there is need for its revision to align it with international best practices in disaster legislations. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2016

Keywords: Civil Protection Act; Disasters; Hazards; Zimbabwe (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016
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DOI: 10.1007/s11069-015-1986-1

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