By Erica Apeatua Addo, GNA
Tarkwa (W/R), May 8, GNA – The University of Mines and Technology (UMaT), Tarkwa, will soon establish an emergency centre to help make Tarkwa and its environs safe for the residents.
The University has already dedicated a building on campus for the centre and currently having discussions with some mining companies to get it fully operationalised
Professor Richard Kwasi Amankwah, the Vice Chancellor, UMaT, announced this during the 2024 Workplace Safety and Health conference held at the UMaT.
It was on the theme: “The Impact of Climate Change on Occupational Safety and Health.”
He said: “l know it will happen either this year or next year because it appears the mining companies are more poised to do it than even the University itself. So, once we start talking, the little things that we need will be in order.
“Now, our building is ready, we just need a few Motorola gadgets for communication, so that anytime there is an incident around the Tarkwa community, once we hear it then we know who to talk to and how they are going to get there,” Prof Amankwah added.
He revealed that within the next six months the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) would be on their campus, and that a building had already been allocated to them by the University and they have agreed to move to their campus adding “We have realised that when there is fire outbreak in the township by the time officers of the GNFS move from Ahwetieso to the station any fire would have already consumed what it is burning.”
Mr Benjamin Kessie, the Municipal Chief Executive of Tarkwa Nsuaem (MCE), said, “Tarkwa is a typical mining municipality. All the multinational mining companies are here, so it should not be that anytime there is a disaster we do not have a specific centre dedicated to respond to it.”
Mr Kessie commended UMaT for initiating such programmes and said whatever proposal would be put on the table the municipal assembly would add its comment to make sure it received national attention for the centre to be established.
“I am also of the view that a military base should be set up here in Tarkwa to partner the UMaT initiative. If the military shows presence, we normally get the control that we need, so we are hoping that will be considered to enable them to partner the police and other security agencies to work effectively.”
GNA