WINDHOEK, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- The Namibian government on Thursday officially unveiled a national risk profile of natural hazards and selected diseases to provide a comprehensive understanding of the risks the country faces and guide related strategic planning.
Speaking at the launch, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Works and Transport John Mutorwa stressed the importance of shifting from reactive disaster management to proactive risk reduction, highlighting the alignment of this initiative with global frameworks like the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction.
Mutorwa said through its mandate to coordinate disaster risk management activities in the country, the Office of the Prime Minister commissioned the development of the profile.
"This undertaking marks an important milestone in efforts to understand the type of risks affecting our country, and simultaneously requiring us to devise strategies to manage these risks," he said.
According to Mutorwa, the document will potentially provide a good foundation for informed decision-making, resource distribution, and effective development planning at both national and sub-national levels, including the implementation of disaster risk reduction interventions in every sector.
"Among the prominent and most recurrent hazards profiled are drought, floods, heatwave, windstorms, lightning, and earthquakes," he said.
Mutorwa expressed particular concern about the ongoing drought and the increasing frequency of heat waves due to climate change.
The Office of the Prime Minister in collaboration with the University of Namibia is currently busy developing a National Resilience Building Strategy, being aligned to the National Risk Profile, he noted.
"This strategy will lay cost-effective implementable adaptation and resilience measures for each of the 14 profiled hazards. I would like to urge every sector and institution to familiarize themselves with the Risk Profile, for informed decision-making, and strategic planning at all levels," he said.
Mutorwa also said that due to the dynamic and evolving nature of disaster risks, the national risk profile is a living document that will be updated as new risk information emerges. ■