An independent presidential hopeful, Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen, has called on the government to resource the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) to deliver on its mandate efficiently.
He said the spillage of the Akosombo and Kpong dams and the subsequent flooding in communities along the Volta Lake was a wake-up call for the government to adequately resource NADMO and invest in early warning systems.
Addressing a gathering of traditional authorities of the Mepe Traditional Area last Sunday when he visited the flood victims, Mr. Kyerematen stressed that resourcing the organization would enable the institution to better deliver on its mandate of saving lives and property during disasters.
NADMO’s mandate
As part of NADMO’s responsibility, it is to create awareness of disasters through intensive public education; ensure disaster prevention, risk, and vulnerability reduction, as a means of reducing the impact of disasters on society; be in a position to provide the first line response in times of disaster; assist in post-emergency rehabilitation and reconstruction effort.
NADMO is to also assist and motivate community-based organizations to serve as credible voluntary organizations to assist in the prevention and management of disasters at the local level; and set up monitoring and early warning systems to aid the identification of disasters in their formative stages, to disseminate timely information and warning, and hazard/disaster awareness creation among other things.
Spillage
Citing the flood caused by the spillage as an example, Mr Kyerematen said NADMO was under-resourced hence it was unable to deliver on its mandate of attending to the flood victims.
He expressed concern at how households had been submerged by the spilled water from the dam.
Mr Kyerematen promised to solicit relief items for the victims and urged the government, corporate entities, and well-to-do individuals, to support the victims in their distress.
The Volta River Authority (VRA) started the controlled spillage at the Akosombo and Kpong dams, both in the Eastern Region, on September 16, 2023, following excess water in both reservoirs due to appreciable levels of rainfall.
The spillage has affected almost all the communities along the lower Volta Basin.
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