Adil pledges support to disaster risk management bill
Central Equatoria State Governor Emmanuel Adil Anthony has pledged full implementation of the disaster risk management bill.
The bill will help fast track the mitigation process of natural and man-made calamities across the country.
“Governor Emmanuel commended the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management together with its staunch partners for their coherent responses to some of the arising emergencies in the wake of enormous disasters occurrences across the country and affirmed his Government’s commitment towards swift implementation of the Bill once adopted for its Operationalization,” the statement from the office of the governor read.
The Minister for Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, Peter Mayen Majongdit promised that his ministry would develop better disaster risk management policies to protect people from impacts of various disasters.
Peter Van Der Auwereaert, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Chief of Mission to South Sudan, said IOM would support the course of disaster management.
Masses have been displaced by natural calamities such as flooding across the country as well as man-made disasters like inter-communal violence.
The bill comes at a time when the country is locked in a debate on how to stop further flooding caused by swollen rivers. Others see the dredging of rivers and digging of Jonglei Canal as an immediate remedy while others are opposed to it.
The issue so divisive that even the presidency was split right in the middle with two Vice Presidents, led by First Vice President Dr Riek Machar, said to be for the dredging.
A similar position is also taken by Vice President for Economic Cluster, Dr James Wani Igga and his Infrastructure counterpart – Taban Deng Gai while President Salva Kiir, Rebecca Nyandeng (Gender and Yout) and Hussein Abdelbagi (Service) pulling on the opposite direction.
Over the weekend, President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda urged African leaders to step up conservation of wetlands.
