Establishment of District Disaster Management Platforms

CALL FOR ESTABLISHMENT OF DISTRICT DISASTER MANAGEMENT COMMITTEES AND DISTRICT DISASTER RISKS REDUCTION PLATFORMS AS REQUIRED BY GHANA DISASTER MANAGEMENT LAW TO AVOID PREVENTABLE DISASTERS IN THE COUNTRY

Disaster is described by the UN as a serious disruption of the functioning of a community causing widespread human, material, economic or environmental losses which exceed the ability of the affected community to cope using its own resources. According to WHO disaster can either be disruption of human ecology that exceeds the capacity of a community to function normally or sudden ecological phenomenon of sufficient magnitude to required external assistance. From the above international bodies point of view, one can conclude that, last year’s Chereponi violent-conflict impact exceeds its coping capacity and requires external assistance due to the widespread nature of the conflict which continues to interrupt academic and health services, including dysfunctional farming and trading activities. This has culminated in abject poverty, food insecurity, malnutrition, school dropouts and child rights abuse. Hence, the increasing public and mass media anxiety for President Akufo-Addo to by executive instrument make regulations for declaration of a state of emergency in Chereponi District to enable external assistance from the UN families, NGOs and others bodies to relieve the victims from the current humanitarian crisis.

In terms of fiscal decentralization, Vice President Mahamadu Bawumia walked the talk after he stated at the 2017 maiden town hall meeting in Accra that, government will pay NADMO 3% share of the District Assembly Common Fund directly to their Metropolitan, Municipal and District NADMO Secretariats through the Disaster Management Fund, thereby shifting the country’s reactive approach to disaster management to proactive approach. By law, the NADMO headquarters is now restricted to the supply of relief items under the emergency phase of the 1992 UNDP disaster management cycle and unable to engage in major post-disaster phase recovery, rehabilitation and reconstruction nationwide. Therefore the District Assemblies as planning authorities are now fully responsible for post-disaster phase actions and pre-disaster critical activities such as identification of all hazards, taking appropriate disaster mitigation measures to eliminate hazards, planning and financing mass procurement and distribution of relief items to disaster victims within their jurisdictions.

Unfortunately, 5 years into Ghana’s new disaster management law, majority of the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies have failed to establish the mandatory district disaster management committees and district platforms for disaster risks reduction. In fact, lack of full utilization of the district disaster management committee in Chereponi has led to the escalation of that violent-conflict into a disaster, thereby assuming a national dimension as if duty bearers have relaxed in their core duties and responsibilities at the seat of government. According to the Northern Regional Executive Secretary of the National Peace Council, relief items supplied by NADMO to the Chereponi disaster victims are inadequate and require external assistance. This confirms last year’s report by the State Broadcaster, GBC that NADMO officials in the northern region were finding it difficult to locate and identify disaster victims for registration and relief support. This is because most of them have migrated to unknown destinations.

BY: IDDRISU NEINDOW BABA (NADMO ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER IN HWIDIEM IN THE ASUTIFI SOUTH DISTRICT OF AHAFO REGION).