afrol News, 2 June - Most of Mali's 12 million inhabitants are living with serious natural disaster hazards, including floods, droughts and crop or livestock diseases. Poverty increases the toll of such disasters. A new government programme is now to limit the consequences when disasters occur.

The Niger and Senegal rivers that flow more than 2,200 kilometres through Mali offer vital resources for development, but heavy rains often trigger floods, such as those during the last two years, that take a toll on lives and property. The country also faces threats such as droughts, livestock diseases and infestations of locusts.

- One of the world's poorest countries, Mali is all the more vulnerable because it lacks a disaster prevention planning and management framework, the UN development agency UNDP says. To remedy this, the Malian government, UNDP and other partners are now helping the General Directorate of Public Safety and local authorities to meet nature's challenges.

The initiative was launched recently in Koulikoro, an industrial centre that is vulnerable to flood damage. It is a hub for rail, road and water transport on the Niger, north-east of Bamako, the Malian capital.

Support for the two-year, US$ 650,000 project comes from the Bamako government, local authorities, UNDP and other partners. They will coordinate with civil society organisations, the Ministry of the Interior, local communities and the UN country team "to strengthen national rapid reaction capabilities," UNDP says.

Abdalah Fascoye, President of the Special Delegation of Koulikoro, welcomed the initiative, pointing out that the whole town would benefit from regional natural disaster management.

- The project comes out of the consensus reached at the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development and the work of the regional bureau of the secretariat of the UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction, said Anatole Sangaré, Secretary-General of Mali's Ministry of Internal Security and Public Safety.

The government was therefore including public safety as a dimension of public policy, "particularly within the framework of its anti-poverty strategy," Mr Sangaré added.

UNDP representative Kalfa Sanogo said that his UN agency was pleased to cooperate with the Malian government on the project, "which will put in place tools for local, regional and national planning to manage disaster risks effectively and reduce communities' vulnerability significantly."

The initiative is to set up a legal framework for managing disaster risks and strengthen the staff skills and organisation of the General Directorate of Public Safety and some of its offices, UNDP says. Communities are to get information and training on how to prevent and respond to disasters, and local and regional authorities are to get help in disaster response planning.

The project further is said to promote exchange of information between national and regional authorities, and work with civil society, community organisations and local authorities to help them prepare disaster prevention plans, according to UNDP.

The UN agency alone is providing US$ 350,000 for national and international experts, training and equipment, and is set to work closely on the project with other UN partners, including the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction, the UN Institute for Training and Research, and the World Food Programme.

By staff writer

© afrol News

Tweet

Printable version

On the Afrol News front page now

UN will not monitor human rights in Western Sahara afrol News - The US has backed down on its demand that UN peacekeepers in Moroccan-occupied Western Sahara also shall monitor the human rights situation after Moroccan sources threatened to scale down relations with Washington. Read more

Central African Republic

Central African Republic falling apart afrol News - One month after the rebel movement Séléka took over power in the Central African Republic, unrest is spreading in the country. The new leader lacks control of his forces, which continue looting and abusing civilians. Read more

Kenya

Kenyatta secures tight victory in Kenya afrol News - The official election results in Kenya have finally been announced, and Uhuru Kenyatta managed to win the first poll round outright with a narrow 50.7 percent. But the main opponent, PM Raila Odinga, is filing a vote rigging complaint to the courts. Read more

Cape Verde Cape Verde to produce dragon fruit afrol News - Cape Verde authorities have invested large sums to diversify the arid country's agricultural sector. Now, the dragon fruit, originating in tropical America, is being introduced for the first commercial production in Africa. Read more

Egypt Even governors in Pharaonic Egypt died in their 20s afrol News - Researchers have analysed more than 200 mummies from ancient Egypt, finding that even high dignitaries were poorly nourished and had infectious diseases. The typical governor in Pharaonic Egypt died before he was 30 years old. Read more