EXPERTS URGED TO STUDY TREND OF DISASTERS (PAGE 20)

A FORMER Chief Disaster Control Officer of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) in the Upper West Region, Mr Kwaku Mbawine, has urged geography experts to study the trend of disasters in the country.
He has also proposed the development of hazards maps by NADMO to bring to the fore all disaster-prone areas in the country.
Speaking at a three-day workshop on emergency preparedness for selected staff of the Ghana Education Service (GES) in Wa, Mr Mbawine said disasters could be man-made or natural causes which ought to be tackled as such.
He, has therefore, called for the proper co-ordination of the activities of stakeholders in disaster management in the country, saying, “It is time all the respective institutions were brought on board to deal with disasters in the country”.
“The Ministries of Defence, Health, Education, Food and Agriculture, among others have roles to play in mitigating disasters when they occur,” he stated.
Speaking on the topic: “Disaster management in Ghana”, Mr Mbawine said as a body which deals with disasters, NADMO must liaise with the relevant institutions and the security agencies to draw up a comprehensive programme on disaster management.
“The frequent supply of relief items make people believe that managing disasters is all about items to disaster victims,” he stated.
Mr Mbawine further proposed that a disaster management institute be established to train people who would in turn inculcate in others the tenets of disaster management.
He said Act 517, which established the NADMO, had no enforcement powers, stressing that “A new Act must be promulgated to bring the activities of NADMO in line with contemporary practices”.
Mr Mbawine said the Act must empower NADMO legally to enable it to enforce decisions affecting the management of disasters across the country.