Indigenous knowledge said to be crucial in early warning systems
Participants at the CLIM-WARN second national workshop have identified indigenous knowledge as an important channel to promote early warning communication and disaster response.
The Participants emphasized the need to build capacity of the rural folks in the use of indigenous knowledge to complement the efforts of sciences.
They also agreed on the need to develop local glossary to translate technical jargons into the various local languages to facilitate early warning mechanisms and responses.
The goal of the CLIM-WARN project was to carryout case studies to gather fundamental information needed for designing improved early warning systems and also work with stakeholders to design such a system.
The workshop also sought to provide a bridge between potential users of an early warning system and providers of climate data using knowledge of the current.
That would be achieved through identifying users of early warning; developing prototype plans for uptake of warnings; improving efficiency of delivery of climate data to users, and designing a comprehensive CLIM-WARN system.
The workshop, organized by Institute of Environment and Sanitation Studies, (IESS) University of Ghana, Legon was attended by the Ministry for Food and Agriculture, Water Resource Institute, National Disaster Management Organization, and Small-Holder Farmers Association.
Others are Town and Country Planning, Ghana Statistical Service, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and Assembly Members from selected electoral areas.
It was on the theme, “Improving efficiency in delivering of climate data to users” and aimed at identifying general guidelines, best practices that could be translated or adapted elsewhere in the world to make delivery of early warning more effective.
Professor Chris Gordon, the Director of IESS, said climate change has effects on almost all sectors including natural resources, social and economic issues.
“However, climate change has gained so much attention because its future consequences or effects are unknown and usually arising from epistemic limitation,” he explained.
He said response to climate change fell within three domains of interventions namely, mitigation which is usually slow, adaptation, and proactive response by population to change behaviours.
Prof. Gordon also stressed the need to tailor early warning information to better suit the needs of the users to achieve the project goal.
He urged the media, especially radio and Television stations to give airtime to experts during their broadcasting to educate the people on early warning systems and disaster risks management.
Dr. Kingsford Asamoah, CREW Project Manager, speaking on how to improve communication and early warning within the country, said the CREW project focuses on capacity building, knowing the risk involved in EWS and reducing risks.
He said there are 10 pilot sites throughout the 10 regions of Ghana which were determined through an inception workshop where a criterion was developed for selecting sites.
He said the primary goal of CREW is to put together an integrated EWS based on scientific and indigenous knowledge.
Dr Asamoah said major communication methods used at local levels include mobile phones, mass media, internet, social networking, individual/group communication, and traditional means such as drums.
He was optimistic that NADMO could continue the good works of the project after its completion and stressed the need for human capacity and infrastructure development of Ghana Meteorological Service and NADMO.
Source: GNA