The Effia-Kwesimintim Municipal Assembly (EKMA) and the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly (STMA) in collaboration with the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) have marked this year’s International Disaster Day for Risk Reduction (IDDR) with public education.
The Effia-Kwesimintim Municipal Assembly had its focus on Apremdo mainly following an upsurge in disasters emanating from rampant fire outbreaks and flooding.
The celebration, which was on the theme, “avoidance of disasters through prevention” aims at sensitizing the community on the need to secure certification from the Minerals Commission to undertake safer means of sand winning to build resilience.
Mr Kojo Acquah, Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for EKMA divulged that good disaster risk governance was key to managing and reducing existing risks to avoid new risks.
He explained that Apremdo was chosen because it is the highest disaster-prone community in the region where illegal human practices such as sand winning pave way for perennial flooding and said over the years the Assembly had to deal with varieties of disasters ranging from floods, fire outbreaks, cholera, sand winning and the recent COVID-19″ pandemic.
Mr Acquah said, his outfit was putting measures to build disaster risk resilience with an on-going building of storm drains and culverts in areas such as Appolo, Unicorn area, Takoradi Technical Institute and Asakae to reduce flooding within the Municipality.
He said the Assembly is also planting trees in some schools to mitigate the effect of climate change citing Apremdo as one of the areas proned to flooding and environmental pollution due to sand winning.
The Municipal Director of NADMO, Mr.Henry Koffie said his outfit had undertaken massive education and sensitization within the year in the Municipality to abate the occurrences of flooding and fire and education programme at Apremdo would be replicated at Whindo within the Municipality.
He said indiscriminate littering of refuse in the environment choked gutters and appealed to the community to handle waste properly.
Mr Koffie attributed the high rate of domestic fires at EKMA to the use of old and faulty cylinders with fridges and other electrical gadgets in the same kitchen and reminded them to put their cylinder regulators off after cooking.
The Principal Nurse in charge of the Apremdo CHPS compound, Madam Gloria Ankomah reminded the people that the COVID-19 pandemic was still around and dangerous more than malaria as it had claimed a lot of lives.
She said although early prevention by government reduced the spread of the disease, there was the need to continue educating them as it has not completely be eradicated.
Story: Seth Ameyaw Danquah
