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| Many have seen AU Summit as talk shop |
The minister in charge
of water also ordered other dams on the property to be drained immediately, a
report by Reuters stated.
In August 2017, more than 1,000 people died whiles hundreds were
missing and thousands rendered homeless in the worst natural disaster from the
mudslide and flooding that hit Sierra Leon's capital, Freetown.
The initial report on the fatal disaster which resurfaced few days stated
that it was a man-made tragedy that could have been prevented.
“The
economy of Africa has remained in the doldrums for some time. We seemed some
kind of stacked. We get locked up because the political cycle is obsessed with
the next General Elections instead of being obsessed with the next generation”. Director of Malawi Economic Justice
Network Mr. Dalitso Kubalasa stated in a recent interview with the BBC on the
economy of Malawi.
However, because the
next generation’s fate hinges on the decisions taken by politicians and key
stakeholders today, the economy and the way things are done on the African
continent is not likely to be good from any time soon.
Is it either African
leaders have absolutely no or less knowledge on the problems confronting Africa
or have decided to pay greater attention to their families, cronies and their
pockets rather than the interests and wellbeing of the continent. I think it is
both factors. This makes it evil.
I have listed just two of the unending disasters that hit two African
countries quite recent because of the number of casualties involved; how and
when they occurred. The fact of the case is that such disasters which claimed
many lives could have been avoided. So what happened?
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| Mount Sugar Loaf which collapsed causing the disaster |
With respect to Sierra Leone, a country that has seen civil war for
quite long period should have been cautious of the effects of environmental
degradation in order to prevent any unforeseen tragedies not related to any
war.
“Freetown is a coastal city built on wooded hills. Though
mudslides are a rare event, this incident was not surprising. Over the past 10
years research papers and civil society organisations have
repeatedly warned the government, and individuals who choose to build in
unstable areas, that the city faces a serious threat from deforestation on the
peninsula”.
“As the city
pushes up into the mountains, the population pressures are taking a toll on
the forest. Trees are being cut down by people who want land for housing and
those who cut wood for their daily needs. About 14.7%
of dense forest in 1986 was converted to built-up by 2015. This increases the risk of
mudslides as trees usually prevent run-off and forests hold water. When there
is prolonged or intense rainfall in places with no trees, the soil becomes
saturated and erodes”, (The Conversation).
The
report added that there were calls to stop “the extension of settlements into
the peninsula hills”, but the authorities took no steps in addressing the
situation.
A recent
report by Aljazeera stated that “land was – and still is – doled out freely by
politicians to their loyalists. Permits and paperwork are issued regardless of
the location of the property being built. Shacks that are marked for demolition
remain standing, and catchment areas are encroached upon with impunity”.
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| Some rescue workers pull bodies from the mud |
Regarding the Kenya dam disaster, I was not
surprised to hear that the owners of the dam did not have operational permit.
There could be few questions: since when did the water resource regulator find
out that the owners of the dam did not have permit? Are some officials from the
regulator benefitting from the dam? Have some of them benefited from such
illegal dams that have been ordered to be drained immediately?
The
comments by the Kenya water resource regulator clearly depict that some
Africans put in leadership positions are just lazy to implement some basic
rules that go a long way to helping their own people. To make the long story short, the culture of doing and managing things
in Africa has mostly been reactive instead of being proactive. If this had
happened in a developed nation, the official in charge could have resigned.
These are the same people in most part of the
continent put in charge to manage various activities in their respective
countries. No physical work is done by them till a disaster struck. In Ghana, a
clear example of such institutions is the National Disaster Management
Organisation (NADMO). Most often, we do not see NADMO educating the populace
till a disaster struck. They tour around affected areas, give them few items
and that is it.
Here in Ghana, some disasters have occurred which
claimed lives of many individuals. One thing which is similar to the
aforementioned disasters is that they could have been prevented. Lots of noise
is made in the initial stage and after few days, noting is done.
In 2012, an Italian court sent shock waves
through the scientific community in a verdict that convicted seven prominent
Italian earthquake experts including a former government official of
manslaughter in a six year jail term for failing to adequately warn the public
about a fatal 6.3 magnitude earthquake that struck in the central Italian city
of L'Aquila in 2009 which killed more than 300 people. 
This is unusual knowing that earthquakes, just like
any natural occurrence can never be predicted, yet these experts were
imprisoned. How about the actions that we are directly responsible for?
Our attitudes boil down to the fact that we have
elected leaders, who just after winning election, focus their attention on
winning the next election rather than fulfilling their mandate. The electorates
have also allowed themselves to be bought into this idea, thinking that it is
the new normal.
