Master Plan for prevention and mitigation of natural calamities 2005-2009.

The Master Plan for prevention and mitigation of natural calamities (PDPMCN) is an integral part of the poverty reduction strategy. Specifically, the Government Programme 2005 to 2009 recognizes that natural disasters and their destructive effects exacerbate the situation of absolute poverty. That is why the Government has defined in its Programme the following objectives: Reduce the number of human victims and loss of property; Consolidate the culture of prevention; Provide the country with means of prevention and mitigation. In order for these objectives to be met, the Government has identified the following actions: Carry out mapping of risk zones; Strengthen the early warning system; Mobilize resources for prevention and mitigation of the effects of natural disasters; Strengthen inter-sectoral institutional coordination; Strengthen regional and international coordination, particularly in the management of river basins; Create a database that allows the accomplishment of the studies in the areas of the climate and their impacts; Promote the construction and use of water storage systems in drought areas for human, animal and irrigation purposes; Intensify training and civic education actions.
In the spirit of the Government's Five-Year Programme and PARPA II, the PDPMCN contributes to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals endorsed by various countries of the world under the United Nations. The PDPMCN contributes to specific objectives related to water resources, environmental sanitation and food security. Objective 1: Reduce vulnerability to drought-induced famine in critical regions. Objective 2: Reduce loss of life and destruction of property due to natural disasters. Objective 3: Minimize the suffering of populations caused by calamities. Objective 4: Ensure a rapid and harmonious reconstruction process. In particular, food security issue should include at least the following aspects: Creation of strategic food and seed reserves in the country; Creation and dissemination of crops and varieties tolerant to drought; Domestication of non-conventional agricultural crops adopting those tolerant to drought that can serve as a raw material for industry; Introduction and multiplication of small irrigation systems; Change in the rural economic structure of semi-arid areas; Introduction of conservation agriculture practices. The establishment of a strategic food and agricultural seed reserve would be done in involving two vectors: Agricultural marketing and stock rotation and Food storage network including: individual family, district and provincial/regional storage.
In the context of the PDPMCN, water availability means ensuring that all populations exposed to cyclical drought have access to at least half of the individual water needs. There is also a need to consider that women and children are even more vulnerable in the most exposed areas, and that they deserve special attention. The rehabilitation of land consists essentially in the implementation of activities that aim to implement land and technological improvements that increase land productivity. The rehabilitation of marginal economies presupposes the search for economic alternatives for generating income that can complement or replace subsistence economies that do not guarantee the stable development of communities.