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S. Sudan to develop disaster risk management policy to combat natural hazards

Xinhua, November 8, 2016 Adjust font size:

South Sudan is in the final stage of developing a disaster risk management policy aimed at enhancing prevention and preparedness regarding disasters induced by natural hazards in the country, a senior government official said on Tuesday.

Bank Joshua, Acting Undersecretary at Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Risk Management, said that the government hopes to adopt the policy before the end of 2016 to enable coordinated response to threats of natural disasters such as floods, drought and extreme weather, among others.

Joshua said the policy supported by the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) will be discussed in a public hearing early next month before being taken to parliament for deliberation.

"The main pillars of the policy is capacity building of the nation to be prepared for disasters, second is to ensure that we have an effective early warning system to predict disasters and third is to have the ability to mobilize resources when disasters occur," he said.

Joshua said nonexistence of a national disaster risk management policy has hampered efforts to respond to natural shocks because the ministry currently lacks sufficient knowledge, resources and information to respond to natural hazards without the help and guidance of a frame work like the proposed policy.

According to UNESCO, South Sudan is prone to recurrent floods every year in the rainy season -- May to October -- which threatens the lives and livelihoods of the local population and their communities.

Destruction of homes, schools, crops and agricultural lands lead to a loss in potential income, food insecurity, disrupted educational opportunities and delayed delivery of basic services in South Sudan, the agency added.

UNESCO said it strives to support member states to enhance their resilience to natural disasters and to build capacity in disaster risk reduction through knowledge generation, training and creating institutional capacity. Endit