Itezhi-tezhi District Commissioner, Hendrix Kamana, has called for an addition of more wards to climate resilience programmes aimed at mitigating challenges of climate change in the district.
The District Commissioner says people now are alive to the effects of climate change and its impact on productivity, hence the need to intensify the projects in the area.
Mr Kamana has pointed out that the district has been terribly hit by effects of climate change which has resulted in animals dying everyday.
He has however, indicated that with the coming of solar boreholes through the Pilot Programme for Climate Resilience (PPCR), animals are subjected to share water with the community for survival.
The District Commissioner was speaking in Itezhi tezhi District yesterday when a team of officials from PPCR, World Bank and Climate Investment Fund, who are the funders of the projects, visited the district to check on the projects being implemented.
And the District Commissioner noted that the rehabilitation of the Kalomo-Dundumwezi road project is timely as it will help with transportation of both people and farm produce as well as inputs.
Mr Kamana stated that with the good road network in place, farmers are now able to receive farming inputs on time and also transport their produce to other parts of the country with ease.
The Civic Leader noted that the road has also added to the revenue in the tourism sector, noting that tourists from neighbouring countries such as Zimbabwe, South Africa and Namibia are visiting Itezhi-tezhi to view the animals and later proceed to Livingstone.
And Mumbwa District Commissioner, Felix Ndopu stated that the community is ready to adapt and create a better environment for themselves as they now understand the effects of climate change.
Mr Ndopu said he is grateful to government and cooperating partners for empowering the communities in the district with income generating activities, which has lessened on the cutting down of trees.
And World Bank PPCR Coordinator, Loreta Rufo, said she was impressed with the projects being implemented in the two districts especially that the community have also embraced the projects.
The PPCR’s development objective is to strengthen Zambia’s institutional framework for climate resilience and improve the adaptive capacity of vulnerable communities in the Barotse and Kafue sub-basins.
If he can go to the MUSEUM, that in itself will be a mitigating factor to climate change in Zambia.