General News of Friday, 16 November 2018
Source: ghananewsagency.org
2018-11-16
Churches have been admonished to intensify education on disaster management
The Ablekuma North Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Mr. Kofi Ofori has expressed worry about the frequent fire outbreaks in the municipality, resulting in the loss of lives and the destruction of properties running into thousands of Ghana Cedis.
Mr Ofori has therefore charged the Municipal Director of the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) and the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) to intensify public education at churches and market places on fire prevention and management to mitigate the sad incidence of loss of lives and properties.
He said this at the Trinity Presbyterian and Grace Pentecostal Churches at Kwashieman, in the Greater Accra Region, during a sensitization programme by the NADMO in the Municipality, in collaboration with the GNFS.
Mr. Ofori assured that the assembly would do all it could to provide the necessary support for the success of the sensitization programmes.
The Greater Accra NADMOO Hydro Director, Mr. Evans Anakwa said anytime there was a downpour of about 30 minutes, the city got flooded because of the attitude and activities of the citizenry.
Mr. Anakwa asserted that about 90% of all disasters in Accra were man-made, citing the construction of houses on water ways, dumping of garbage into drains and littering as some of the major reasons for the flooding in the city.
He encouraged the people to report anyone found building in a waterway by calling the NADMO office for prompt action.
The Municipal Director of NADMO, Mr. Kwaku Duah said between January and July this year, about 153 people were displaced through various kinds of disasters. Six fire outbreaks, Mr. Duah said, were recorded, affecting 60 victims with six losing their lives.
The sad Dansoman fire disaster which killed a family of five about three month ago, and that of the death of a pregnant woman through fire at Awoshie, could not too soon be forgotten Mr. Duah said.
He therefore appealed to people to be extra careful at their homes to forestall such painful disasters, adding that, sensitization programmes will be carried out in Churches, Mosques and market places to create awareness on fire prevention.
The NADMO Ambassador, Ms Afia Adutwumwaa Morosa advised women not to use phones in the kitchen since that could spark off fire and also motorists should switch off their phones at fuel stations.