Let’s adopt measures to reduce effects of disasters

THE Minister of the Interior, Mr Martin Amidu, has advised countries in the sub-region to institute measures to reduce the effects of disasters which occur in their countries.
He said Ghana had established a National Platform for Disaster Risk and Climate Change Adaptation and also regional platforms in the three northern regions with the seven others yet to be established.
Mr Amidu explained that the platforms were crucial to managing disasters since they were key in advocacy and coordinating human and material resources in the areas of pre-disaster, emergency and post-disaster phase.
The Interior Minister was speaking in Accra at the opening of the Economic Commission of West Africa States (ECOWAS) Regional Awareness and Sensitisation Workshop on Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk Reduction on Tuesday.
The three-day workshop was to sensitise and create awareness on the need to incorporate disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation into development policies and programmes.
He said reports from all over the world indicated that disasters were increasing, both in intensity and frequency, and added that “the situation in our sub-region is no different”.
He said in recent times disasters of all types were being reported and these were floods, pest and insect infestation, fires, drought, landslides, epidemics, road and aviation accidents, among others.
“These disasters lead to loss of life and property, damage to social and economic infrastructure, leading to the disruption of economic activities and undermining of development programmes”, he stressed.
He advised the ECOWAS member-states on the urgent need to incorporate climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction in their developmental agenda in order to reduce the impact of disasters and achieve sustainable development in the sub-region.
In a speech read on his behalf, the Mayor of Accra, Mr Alfred Vanderpuije, said Ghana, like other countries, was not immune to disasters and had suffered from various types including earthquakes, fires, floods, army worm invasion and epidemics like H1N1 influenza.
He pointed out that one hazard which had become perennial was the occurrence of floods which affected the entire nation and that these floods caused widespread destruction to farms, livestock and property.
Mr Vanderpuije said last year, as many as eight lives were lost in Accra due to floods. Unfortunately, most of the floods were caused by human activities including poorly sited buildings and poorly engineered drains.
He also touched on the issue of rapid population growth in the city and the corresponding generation of waste, some of which were deposited in drains.
To ease flooding in the capital city, he said 360 structures in waterways had been demolished and the assembly was constructing major drains at parts of the city.
The National Co-ordinator of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), Mr Kofi Portuphy, advised the participants to endeavour to share experiences and ideas that would be beneficial to their individual countries.