A high powered team of Disaster risk Reduction experts is set to storm communities around Weija in Accra to provide extensive public education on earthquake disaster Risk Reduction to residents of the enclave.
The liaison group consisting of personnel from the Ghana Geological Survey Authority, the minerals Commission, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the water Resources Commission, Chamber of mines and Energy, the Forestry Commission and the Weija-Gbawe Municipal Assembly was formed to visit Weija and its adjoining communities that are part of Ghana’s earthquake-prone zones.
According to the acting Director General of the Ghana Geological Survey Authority, Isaac K. Mwinbelle, the sensitization exercise has become necessary to educate residents on early warning system and good risk reduction practices to save lives in an unlikely event of an earthquake.
Although Mr. Mwinbelle was not categorical on the possibility of an earthquake, he did not rule it out given the fact that Ghana is an earthquake prone zone.
He said the awareness creation to be carried out at Weija, forms part of Ghana’s preparedness towards earthquake disaster risk reduction.
Mr. Mwinbelle stressed that the decision to sensitize residents in the area has become even more relevant following the recent earthquake outbreak in Turkey and Syria that injured and killed thousands including a Ghanaian footballer, Christian Atsu.
He said the earthquake in Turkey should serve as a timely caution for Ghana as the two countries has a history that dated back to 1930 when an earthquake in Turkey was followed by another one in Ghana that claimed hundreds of lives and destroyed several properties.
Addressing journalists at a sensitization workshop in Accra, Mr. Isaac K. Mwinbelle said “the Weija area is a national concern, so we are organizing a visit to engage the people there, We have drawn a hazard map covering all those areas which is supposed to help developers indicate that this area is not good for developing but who looks at that when they are going to develop? So what we can do there is to sensitize the people to either be prepared in case of emergency or in an unlikely event, they should know what to do to reduce the impact”.
Mr. Mwinbelle indicated that his outfit is working with various local Assemblies to ensure people do not build in earthquake zones.
“You cannot go and say they should pull down all those houses, I don’t think government will be ready to make that bold pronouncement, So what we will do is to engage them, sensitize them, and let them see where they are, the hazard, the risk is high so that some measures will be put in place,” he said.
He advised landowners to seek the services of personnel form the Ghana Geological Survey Authority to determine whether or not a particular parcel of land fell within an earthquake zone before building.
Story: Emmanuel Coffie/Radiogoldlive.com
