The Kaduna state Emergency Management Agency (KADSEMA) says it is working with stakeholders to reduce the impact of disasters in the state.
Muhammed Mukaddas, Executive Secretary of the agency, made this known on Wednesday at a symposium to mark the International Day of Disaster Risk Reduction in Kaduna.
Mukkadas said that the symposium was organised to raise the awareness of communities on the importance of reducing exposure to disasters in the state.
He said, ”with Gov. Nasir El-Rufai’s transformative developmental agenda, the agency and its partners were able to avert the effects of flash floods across the state.”
Mukaddas disclosed that the installation of CCTV cameras at strategic points served as early warning mechanisms which helped in monitoring the rise in water level across River Kaduna.
He said that the agency would be focusing on its target of substantially increasing the availability of access to multi- hazard early warning system, disaster risk information and assessment to people by 2030.
In his remarks, Abubakar Hassan, Director-General, Kaduna state Contributory Health Management Authority (KACHMA), said that the state’s record of relative minimal flooding was due to careful planning.
He said: “Being impacted by minimal flood in the state within the year shows leadership that has made mitigating flood an objective.
”This is by careful planning and the dissemination of the right information to the right targets in the 255 wards of the state.”
Earlier in his keynote address, Mr Bamidele Fagbite, Senior Programme Coordinator, Christian Aid, said the aim of the symposium was to create awareness as disasters would naturally occur anytime.
Represented by, Gabriel Tochukwu, Fagbite said the NGO was supporting in strengthening the early warning system in the state and building up capacity in the area of coordination, preparing and responding in time of disasters.
Fagbite said the state was able to manage flooding sequel to the coordination of the agency and the Disaster Management and Mitigation Platform (DMMP) ,to prepare and respond to hazards before they became disasters.
He said: ”We aim to put an end to poverty by challenging structures and systems that promote poverty as it affects the most vulnerable in the society.”
