President Ernest Bai Koroma
A new report shows Sierra Leone is among four West African countries way below the risk reduction index that could help more countries assess and reduce the risk of natural hazards and disasters.
Researchers at the Madrid-based humanitarian research non-profit DARA who developed the new methodology observed that the index was used to create a risk map for different parts of West Africa.
“Guinea, Mauritania, Nigeria and Sierra Leone all scored below 4.0, indicating they are unprepared to handle natural hazard risks”, the report said, adding that an assessment carried out in six West African countries found pervasive risks and limited capacity to reduce vulnerability.
The index assessed the capacities and conditions - such as human resources, laws and social norms - available for disaster risk reduction (DRR), according to DARA.
“Basically, the risk reduction index looks at local community perceptions related to underlying risk," said Belen Paley, advocacy manager at DARA. “It takes into account natural hazards that the area is vulnerable or exposed to, as well other aspects of that community's infrastructure, socioeconomic development, governance and other factors.”
Cape Verde, Ghana and Senegal scored between 5 and 5.9, meaning they have made some progress on DRR. Senegal for instance has set up the Civil Protection department to work on DRR as well as a DRR National Platform, but coordination between these groups is poor, particularly at the local level, and funding remains inadequate, says DARA.
No countries in the region scored above 6.0, which would indicate that governments are not sufficiently prioritizing DRR activities.
These scores are backed by statistics. The number of people affected by flooding in West and Central Africa has steadily increased between 2007 and 2012, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
In 2012, more than 3 million people in the region were affected by flooding, almost half of them in Nigeria. At the same time, droughts in the Sahel have become chronic, and this year 18 million people are estimated to be at risk of hunger across the region, says OCHA.
(C) Politico 18/03/14
