The signing of the certificate is a declaration by the Ekurhuleni Metro that it is one of the 2 800 cities and towns that have joined the global campaign to make cities resilient, by implementing systems that will allow them to respond to disasters effectively.
“Education is key in assisting in clarifying issues, because, when we are knowledgeable about things we can make informed decisions that can save lives and future generations,” said the mayor during his address at the signing ceremony, at the Germiston Civic Centre.
“The Disaster and Management Services personnel cannot be the only people responsible for dealing with disasters; the entire city ought to be well-informed about and involved in disaster reduction measures.”
The signing ceremony was held following interactive commemorations of the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction, held under the theme “Knowledge for Life”, at the Etwatwa Sports Grounds.
Over 6 000 Ekurhuleni residents attended the event, which focused on the use of traditional, indigenous and local knowledge to establish a way for communities to partner with the authorities to reduce their exposure to disasters and raise awareness about the importance of risk reduction.
“Things have clearly changed since our times. The fact that we have not experienced rain for months now is a danger, but our homes, too, are filled with hazardous objects such as gas stoves and flammable cans,” said 67-year-old Mariam Gwala.
She was among the elderly residents who shared their indigenous knowledge and were, in turn, educated about the effects of climate change, how to respond during an emergency and factors to consider during any form of disaster.
The following 10-point checklist by the UNISDR are the essentials for Making Cities Resilient, by which the City of Ekurhuleni will be guided:
- Put in place an organisational structure and identify the necessary processes to understand and act on reducing exposure, its impact and vulnerability to disasters.
- Identify, understand and use current and future risk scenarios. Understand the economic impact of disasters and the need to strengthen financial capacity for resilience.
- Invest in and maintain critical infrastructure that reduces risk, such as flood drainage, adjusted where needed to cope with climate change.
- Pursue resilient urban development and design for new infrastructures, hazard-resistant buildings, flood drainage, green areas, etc.
- Safeguard natural buffers to enhance the protective functions offered by natural ecosystems and anticipate changes from climate trends, urbanisation and planning, to enable ecosystem services to withstand these.
- Strengthen capacity of all institutions relevant to a city’s resilience to discharge their roles in five key DRR areas of understanding, prevention, mitigation, response and recovery planning.
- Strengthen societal capacity for resilience.
- Increase resilience of infrastructure to cope with disasters.
- Ensure effective disaster response.
- Expedite recovery and build back better after any disaster.
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