Nana Oduro Frikyi, Former National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) Co-ordinator, has called on building inspectors, engineers and city authorities to be proactive in their monitoring and supervisory activities to help reduce disasters.
He said there was the need for city authorities and other stake holders to ensure that unauthorised structures on fire hydrants and flood prone areas were demolished as stipulated in their laws.
Nana Frikyi made the call when he chaired a forum organised by the Kumasi Metropolitan Secretariat of NADMO in Kumasi.
The event was aimed at sensitising the general public on rainstorm and fire disasters and was on the theme; "Disaster Risk Reduction-Our Joint Obligation."
Nana Frikyi attributed some of the causes of disasters to the luke-warm attitude of stake holders and the general public, saying that a change of attitude and behaviour could help in disaster prevention.
He mentioned building in flood prone areas, farming along river banks, cutting down trees and deliberately setting the bush ablaze as some of the practices which needed to be abated to prevent disasters.
Mr Benedict Asobayire, Ashanti Regional Operations Officer of NADMO, said disaster management could be sustained only with the full participation of all civil societies and non-governmental organisations and urged the citizenry to partner NADMO in their work.
A Disaster Volunteer Group (DVG) was also inaugurated to help gear the campaign towards disaster prevention in the country.