The National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) has called on the various Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies in the country especially in the Central region to strictly enforce their by-laws on building regulations as part of measures to curb the perennial flooding situations.
Speaking exclusively to ATLFM NEWS in commemoration of the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction which takes place every year on October 13, the Central Regional Head for Disaster and Training Department of NADMO, Mr. Enoch Kojo Forson indicated that, disaster risk reduction requires relevant stakeholders to collaborate and help to deal with the disasters confronting the nation.
“We cannot do anything individually with the disasters that are happening. We need to work as a team…we need every head, the media, the CSO’s, NGO’s and academia to contribute to fighting this year’s disasters and the subsequent ones” he said.
He emphasized that the assemblies must enforce the by-laws on building regulations to allow for meaningful construction of buildings in their electoral areas to avoid disasters.
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The International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction celebrates how people around the world are reducing their exposure to disasters and raising awareness about the importance of reining in the risks that they face. The Day was started in 1989 after a call by the UN General Assembly for a day to promote a global culture of risk awareness and disaster reduction.
Touching on the theme for this year’s commemoration: “Only Together We Can Save This Planet’, Mr. Kojo Forson urged especially individuals to stop building in waterways. This is he said is one major way to reduce flooding disasters.
“The next thing that people need to do is to ensure that they have drains. Make sure you have some gutters around your building. Don’t just build and leave it like that because no matter what it will rain, and when it rains water will find its own level.” He added.
Mr. Forson further mentioned that green grassing is also a very important measure Ghanaians must prioritize to ensure flooding is minimized to the barest minimum.
Mr. Enoch Kojo Forson noted that each individual must also play an active role in properly handling electrical gadgets to reduce disasters in the country.
Source: Rosemond Asmah & Victoria Entsuah-Mensah
