A Senior Meteorologist at the Ghana Meteorological Agency, Muller Tsatsu Tsiame has blamed lack of resources as their major challenge in delivering on their responsibilities to the fullest.
According to him, the service lacks the resources to enhance its communication systems to relay information to Ghanaians.
“We don’t have enough resources to ensure effective communication so we are not able to give storm warnings within the shortest possible time.”
“After we have finished our analogies and want to communicate the results , the internet is not responsive in most instances. We dont have radio stations to also relay our information so we are compelled to use fax machines.”
Mr. Tsatsu Tsiame also bemoaned the non payment of their rent allowance and accommodation for almost 30 years. He said ” rent allowance,and accommodation is a problem and if that is not resolved, the people that are being sent for training will resign when they return.”
President John Dramani Mahama charged the Meteorological Service to sharpen its skills to predict the weather more appropriately and on time. The president said this during his presentation at the Independence Day celebration on Thursday following a heavy downpour that nearly marred the event.
“We must sharpen our ability to be able to better predict the behavior of the weather in order to be able to adapt to it”.
But speaking on Eyewitness News, Mr. Tsatsu Tsiame stated that the Meteorological Service could not be blamed for the unexpected rains for which they had given prior warnings.
“On Tuesday, we informed Ghanaians about what will happen during the week and during the night, the weather forecaster gave the hint that there will be across the coastal sector.”
He stated that if Ghanaians had followed those warnings, things would have been brought under control, saying “the President stated that he received a storm warning but it was too late to call off the function.”
By: Marian Efe Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana