By Adama Makasuba
The government through the National Disaster Management Agency has launched Ecowas food response project for the flood and windstorm victims that will receive support like furniture and cash.
Speaking at the launching held in Brikama, executive director of National Disaster Management Agency, Sanna Dahaba, expressed happiness for the launching, saying the country experienced severe flooding between May and October in 2020 in the two regions.
“The National Disaster Management Agency is pleased to launch the ECOWAS food response to the people of West Coast Region and Upper River Region respectively. During the heavy rains between May and October in 2020, The Gambia experienced flood and rainstorm hazard with significant impact on the lives and livelihoods of the affected population. The heavy and persistence rains led to severe flooding in the densely populated areas of West Coast Region and in around the city of Basse in the Upper River Region,” he said.
Lamin Sanneh, Governor of WCR, welcomed the project as it will help give support to entire victims across the seven regions in the country.
According to him, the flood led to challenges with access to clean water and increasing the threat of water-borne diseases and other related-hazards.
“As such the action and output of this project is welcome not only by the West Coast Region but the entire Gambia as a whole,” he also said.
Ecowas political adviser, Claude Kondor, said the sub-region natural disasters hazard have increased in severity since the last three decades, adding “The Gambia is no exception and prone to numerous hazardous events that are exacerbated by the negative effects of climate change.”
“These have resulted in increasing interest of ECOWAS and its member states in disaster risk reduction, to facilitate sustainable integration and development of member states and government through promoting and supporting effective disaster risk management that helps create safer and resilient communities in social, economic and environmental terms,” he said.
He thanked World Food Programme for accepting what he called responsibility to implement the project in collaboration with the National Disaster Management Agency.
For his part, World Food Programme country director, Dr Jean Claude Nshimirimana, said the ultimate objective of the support project is to reduce The Gambia’s vulnerability to the impact of future climate change related disasters and build communities’ resilience to militate against these disasters with enhance early warning.
