Mainly Confronted Disasters in Rwanda and Management

BCM is a planning that extends well beyond IT function, it looks at everything that might cause interruption or losses in our business in order to provide effectives strategies for protecting our infrastructure, environment on which our business operations and systems are running on.

Natural disasters and other unexpected disruptions occur more frequently and cause greater damage in one way or another, especially in IT function, which is still exposed and  uncontrolled as  it  should  be;  however  it  is  a  function  that  playing  a very important role of carrying and driving our daily activities.

A.  Industrial and Technological Disasters

A hazard originating from technological or industrial conditions, including accidents, factory explosions, fires, infrastructure failures, electrical hazard, human activities, that may cause stuff and environmental damage or any other loss etc.

Industrial and Technological Hazards and Their Management

• For Electrical and fire hazards no inflammable materials should be stored in the proximity, institution should ensure the availability of detection system, alarms, fire extinguishers, fire hydrants system, Emergency escape route, etc.
• To prevent explosion, continuous pressure and Temperature monitoring should carried out, availability of appropriate isolating valves, thermometers and bypass lines for Explosion.
• Regular monitoring and inspection on weakened structures by RHA (buildings), RTDA (Roads, bridges) other essential structures of common interest (RURA / MININFRA).

B.  Water Overflow

Water overflow in our working building is a disaster if happened may have a great impact on people, infrastructures, and environment.

PREPAREDNESS AND RESPONSE STRATEGIES

• Regular maintenance of water piping system in building
• Early warning system for potential failures
• Assess damage and plan provision of required resources
• Construction and repair/ rehabilitation of water points including boreholes, shallow sanitation facilities in affected areas.
• Clearing and desalting of waterways and drainages structures where necessary.

C.  Earthquake

During an earthquake ground shakes, causing a building to sway and other losses, to withstand this movement building should have a structure system strong enough to carry the earthquake forces yet flexible enough to respond to the ground motion, based on data established by Rwanda Bureau of standard (RBS).
Prevention and Mitigation Non-structural and structural Measures

• Earthquake Early-Warning (EEW): is a system estimate a level of a ground shaking to be expected and issue a warning before; which are valuable to reduce damage, costs and causalities.
• Hazard mapping and Monitoring
• Retrofitting of existing buildings especially in area threatened by earthquake, their structure should be modified to make them more resistant.