By: Momodou Justice Darboe
The Executive Director of the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) has asserted that indiscriminate dumping in gutters and canals has been exacerbating the country’s already tricky flood situation.
The NDMA boss Sanna Dahaba lamented that floods have become frequent and destructive, underlining the changing trajectory of the climate.
“What we have been witnessing is a clear indication that climate change is real. This shows that even though the government is trying very hard to invest in disaster management, we need to redouble our efforts because climate change has an economic and social dimension, which is increasing in terms of its magnitude and frequency,” Mr. Dahaba told The Voice in an exclusive interview.
Attitudinal Shift
He stressed that the government’s investment in disaster prevention and mitigation must be complemented by the population.
“So inasmuch as the government is investing in it(disaster management), the population needs to be cooperative. What we have seen in Churchill’s Town(Thursday’s flooding along Kombo Sillah Drive) was a complete blockade. The traffic got jammed and there was a serious inundation. Inasmuch as we talk about engineering, people contribute to its(flooding) impact, in no small measure, by disposing of debris into the canal, which actually causes blockade,” the NDMA’s Dahabaexplained. He continued:“So, we would definitely ask for the cooperation of the general public so that we help the government. In any disaster situation, the government is the primary duty bearer and the government is fulfilling its obligation in terms of investing in disaster mitigation, management as well as response but the population also has a big responsibility in trying to reduce them so that at the end of the day, the risks will be reduced and therefore, vulnerability will also be reduced.”