… Donates four worth E12 000 each
BY OWETHU DLAMINI
MBABANE– Enhancing disaster management!
The World Food Program (WFP) sent out a team of technical experts who specialise in Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) service to train Eswatini National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) officers for emergency or disaster situations.
This took place as WFP donated four drones worth E12000 each (E48 000 in total) that would be used by the NDMA officers. The main aim of this training was to instil the necessary skills to use drones in preparation of natural or man-made disasters. This will give NDMA the opportunity to quickly identify people who may be in need of help during these natural or man-made disasters.
The training was hosted with financial support from the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO) as Eswatini was one of the five countries in Africa that was selected for this training.
During an interview with the NDMA Communications Manager, Wandile Mavuso, gratitude was expressed for such an opportunity as these drones will allow NDMA to identify disaster stricken areas at a faster pace.
“NDMA is grateful for the training that we have received from ECHO as WFP also donated four drones that cost E12000 each. These drones will assist us in identifying areas that have been affected and will give us the data that is necessary faster, rather than sending out volunteers to go and assess the situation. Through this we can also easily gather data regarding how many people have been injured and the amount of damage done by that particular disaster at that time.
“We are also very delighted that Eswatini was among one of the five countries in Africa to receive such training, this is a huge milestone for NDMA,” said Mavuso.
Drones are known as flying robots that have many uses including monitoring climate change, performing search tasks after natural disasters, photography, filming as well as delivering goods.
According to the NDMA website, the organisation works towards enhancing disaster preparedness for effective response and to ‘Build Back Better’ in recovery rehabilitation and reconstruction.
