TheCable

Ishaq Salako, minister of state for environment, says the ministry now has a flood warning system that alerts people five days ahead of time.

While speaking on Monday in an interview with Channels Television, Salako said there has been a more robust approach to tackling climate change issues in the country.

He added that the government recently set up a climate change council to assist other bodies on related issues.

“In the ministry of environment, we have added flood warning systems, so we can give a five-day warning that in five days’ time, from all the parameters we have, floods are likely to happen in such and such areas,” he said.

“That is cooperation and that is why you see that we have a more robust approach.

“At the moment we have a presidential committee on flood management because the government realises that not one agency of government can actually do the work that is needed to control, mitigate and prevent flooding.

“So, you have the environment ministry, you have water resources, you have NIMET, NEMA and also other agencies as part of it.

“At the same time, we now have what you call the climate change council, where everybody that is involved can come in and cooperate.”

He noted that having different bodies would ensure that climate change issues are not analysed from just one angle.

“The robust corporation is there for us to ensure that this thing is not taken from one angle alone, it’s taken from several angles,” the minister said.

” If you look at the way the flood issue is now being handled. NiMet, the hydrological Services Agency, does the prediction and then they tell us the alert.

“And then of course, the emergency response now comes from NEMA in terms of palliatives, moving people and providing for their immediate needs, that is the kind of cooperation that we need to manage environmental issues which we are doing very, very well here.”