Simelane calls for disaster risk checks before housing projects

By Charmaine Ndlela

Human Settlements Minister Thembi Simelane has called for disaster risk assessments to be conducted before housing projects are approved, warning that homes built in unsafe locations without adequate infrastructure could leave vulnerable families exposed to floods, fires and other disasters.

Speaking at an International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction engagement at ANEW Resort White River in Mbombela, Mpumalanga, on Wednesday, Simelane said disaster prevention must be integrated into every stage of housing delivery, from land acquisition and project planning to construction and the upgrading of informal settlements.

“My answer is that disaster risk must be addressed as part of housing delivery, from the decision about where to build to the way a settlement is maintained,” she said.

“A home should give a family greater security. If its location or construction exposes that family to foreseeable harm, an essential part of our responsibility remains unfulfilled.”

The two-day engagement,