NADMO not in the position to deal with causes of flood - Coordinator

June 3 disaster scene
(Facebook)

The National Coordinator of National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), Brigadier General Francis Vib Sanziri, has advised that Ghanaians quit practices which lead to flooding.

Speaking to Unique FM, Brigadier General Sanziri said NADMO is not in the position to deal with the causes of flood such as dumping refuse in gutters and building in waterways; rather, the people.

“These are what really led to the flood. Are these issues controlled by NADMO? Does NADMO control the building of structures in Accra? Is NADMO in charge of waste management? NADMO is a humanitarian agency that seeks to address disaster victims and relieve them of immediate pain,” he said.

National Coordinator of National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), Brigadier General Francis Vib Sanziri
(Onua FM)

His comment comes as Ghana marks a year of the June 3 flood and inferno disaster. The sad incident which occurred in 2015 was the single largest loss of Ghanaian lives to a disaster since independence as over 150 people perished.

Torrential rainfall caused massive flooding in Accra while the GOIL filling station at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle caught fire following a spillage of an underground oil tank.

In the midst of claims by some victims that they have not received adequate support from NADMO, Brigadier General Sanziri said their activities are guided by processes.

“I will not hold brief for NADMO but we have been able to do our work perfectly. We also have our shortcomings. But we have a procedure for knowing who our victims are. The moment we have a disaster scene, we have a personnel in that community who does a quick assessment of the situation. And one of the tasks is to determine who the real victims of the incident are,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Deputy Communications Director of the NPP, Perry Okudzeto has said the party is not satisfied with the way government is handling problems of flooding in the country, particularly in Accra.

Deputy Communications Director of the NPP, Perry Okudzeto
(ghlive.com)

He believes the flyovers at the Kwame Nkrumah Interchange is the cause of the persistent floods around the area.

“The issue is that a disaster has taken place. There is a government in power. A government has contracted a contractor to build a flyover that has blocked drainage and causing the nation 200 lives. So the government should take responsibility and do something about it,” he told Pulse.com.gh