Sanna Dahaba, Executive Director of National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) has disclosed that digitalization of Early Warning Systems (EWS) with drone technology in flood monitoring will go a long way in contributing positively to the disaster management works in the country.
And the deployment of drones in the country will equally contribute to poverty alleviation by reducing flood risks and vulnerabilities, thus, increasing flood disaster resilience of the population.
The NDMA Executive Director made this statement at Jarra on Friday 26th March 2021, at Soma where ten drone pilots drawn from various government departments and agencies were certified by the agency after completion of a three weeks intensive training courtesy of India-UN Development Partnership Fund.
“Digitalizing our early warning systems with the introduction of drones technology in flood monitoring and the conduct of and completion of this training for ten technical experts from various institutions will in no small measure contribute significantly to enhance disaster management works in The Gambia,” NDMA Executive Director disclosed.
According to him, NDMA will be relying on the cohort of graduates in the near future to achieve the desired result of disaster management work in the country.
He noted that the certification of graduates with A2 certificate of competence and COC course and general visual line sight certificate means that NDMA can now rely on locally trained drone pilots in its efforts to disaster management.
“Been awarded A2 certificate of competence and COC course and general visual line of sight certificate means that you are the only few NDMA will be relying on to achieve the desired results since you are the first batch to be trained and certify as drone pilots. While I take my time to congratulate you, I will be quick to add that to whom much is given, much is expected from you,” Sanna Dahaba told Gambia’s Drone Pilots.
He said the drones will facilitate timely acquisition of images for the management of flood related hazards on land, water, catchments and the environment.
Nyima Sawo, first female Gambian Drone Pilot uses the occasion to called on more Gambian women to venture out to achieve training in this arena, noting that the becoming a drone pilot can create employment opportunities for the nation’s teeming female population.
According to her, the knowledge learnt will go a long way in the fight to preventing and identifying flood disaster prone. Also, drones will help in locating and identifying flood affected areas that are usually inaccessible by disaster officials.
The three weeks trainings centered on using drones and early warning systems for pre and post floods disaster management in The Gambia was conducted by Senegal Flying Labs and U.K based Global Drones Company.
