DISASTER MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE INAUGURATED AT NUNGUA (PAGE 43, JULY 21, 2010)

Story: Della Russel Ocloo, Tema



THE Ledzokuku Municipal Assembly (LEKMA) has spent a total of GH¢A2300,000 on
the desilting of major drains in the municipality over the past 18months.
Municipal Chief Executive of the assembly disclosed this at a ceremony to
inaugurate an 11member municipal disaster management committee at Nungua, a
suburb of Accra.
The committee which is chaired by the chief executive, Mr Daniel
Amartey-Mensah has been tasked to help facilitate the formulation and
implementation of policies aimed at mitigating incidents of disasters in the
municipality.
Mr Mensah indicated that, the removal of structures on water courses would
be pursued in earnest while abandoned dams would be rehabilitated as parts
of the mitigating measures towards fighting the menace.
Membership of the committee includes the Members of Parliament for Ledzokuku
and Krowor constituencies, Dr Quaye Kumah and Nii Nortey Duah.
Others includes, Lt Col M. Mustapha of the 48 engineers=92 regiment, DSP
Samuel Punobyin and Mr Kofi Simmons, both district commanders of the police
and fire services, Dr Liticia Wiafe, municipal health director and Mr Isaac
Kwarfo, municipal information officer.
The rest are, ASP Patience Awetey, Mr Richard Narh and James Narh, assembly
members for Blekese and Ashietey Akomfrah electoral areas respectively, with
Mr Mohammed Tchafram, Municipal NADMO Coordinator as secretary.
Inauguration the committee, Greater Accra Regional Coordinator of the
National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), Mr Winfred Nomotey-Tesia
indicated that, bringing on board various stakeholders with varied
expertise, would offer NADMO an opportunity to be proactive in dealing
issues that trigger disasters.
According to him, incidents disaster damage can be minimized through zoning
by ensuring that wetlands, water courses and earthquake belts were zoned
appropriately by employing the right type of engineering in the usage of
such lands.
He tasked members to be guided by the prevention pays slogan adopted by
NADMO towards forestalling disasters across board, noting that, the Sunday
20th June floods confirms that, poor planning increases the impact of
disasters.
"You do not have to wait for the livelihood and lives of people to be eroded
by a major disaster before moving in with rice and beans in the name of
relief", Mr Tesia stated.
"It is in this light, NADMO would continue to advocate for a legislation to
be included in the Town and Country Planning committees", he said.
He also charged the district, municipal and metropolitan chief executives
who by legislation are the chairpersons of disaster management and town
planning committees to co-opt NADMO coordinators to these committees, as
their roles would help to ensure that disaster risk reduction strategies
were adopted in the issuance of permits for the sitting of structures.
Mr Tesia also charged the committee to put forward a municipal contingency
plan towards the realization of its goals.
The Municipal NADMO Coordinator, Mr Mohammed Tchafram in his welcome address
was optimistic, the committee=92s inaugurations would help towards a reduction
of flooding within the municipality.
He assured the committee would focus on the mobilization of resources to
build the capacity of NADMO as an institution to be able to respond to
disasters when they occur.
He bemoan, shoddy works in the execution of contracts coupled with poor
engineering have left negative effects on schools, major roads, bridges and
culverts.
The impact on these structures would have been less if stakeholders had
corporate fully with NADMO.