The Ghana Red Cross Society’s Upper East Regional Manager, Paul Wooma has indicated that the two primary disaster management organisations, Ghana Red Cross Society and the National Disaster Organisation (NADMO) have turned their attention from the distribution of relief items to building the capacity of persons and community to reduce risks.
He said this when he spoke to the media on the occasion of the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction in Bolgatanga, the Upper East Regional capital.
Mr. Wooma explained that a better way to save the environment, protect lives and properties is to reduce the risk of disasters. While the two organisation would continue to support persons who have been affected by disasters, more of the organisations’ resources would be channeled towards preventing the disaster from happening entirely, or at least, reduce the risk of same.
“The Red Cross Society with the key disaster management organisations, primarily NADMO, is moving away from relief distribution to disaster risk reduction. The Swiss Red Cross Project supported the Ghana Red Cross Society to do disaster risk management in our communities like Kassena Nankana Municipal, Binduri, Nabdam,Bongo, Talensi and Builsa North.”
“What we do is to identify the hazards and to disseminate information about the hazards after we have done assessments on them. That gives them the preparatory information to take early action to prevent or minimise impact of disaster losses, should they occur,” he said.
Mr. Wooma’s interaction with the media was preceded by a march through the principal streets of Bolgatanga by staff of the GRCS and NADMO to create awareness about the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction.
“There is an urgent need to save mankind going forward,” Mr. Wooma said as he drew attention to the placards held by participants of the march.
The statements on the placard included; Stop Galamsey, Stop Sandwinning, End Deforestation among others.
“We have to grow trees. We have to avoid building on waterways. We have to avoid galamsey and do responsible mining. That is the latest threat of humankind today. We are speaking to the world. We are speaking to the Upper East Region; we are saying please, let us come together and grow trees,” he said.
For the preservation of the environment, Mr, Wooma stressed the need for wrongdoers to be punished to serve as a deterrent to others.
Source: A1radioonline.com|101.1MHz|Mark Kwasi Ahumah Smith|Ghana
