Ghana’s Government Invests In Digital Seismic Network

Ghana's Government Invest Seismic Network
Photo Credit: Sören Lubitz via Unsplash

Ghana government has invested GH¢ 2.8 million (USD 511,536) to address the challenges with Ghana Digital Seismic Network, Modern Ghana reports.

The country’s Lands and Natural Resources Minister, Kwaku Asomah-Cheremeh, made this statement in Accra Ghana capital, at the Ministry of Information Meet The Press Series.
The investment made in May was to prepare the country to manage future cases of earthquakes or earth tremors.

On January 13, and March 2, 2019, Ghana experienced two tremors with magnitudes 2.8 and 3.9 respectively (on the Richter scale).
According to experts, these could be a warning signal to a major earthquake as well as an indication that the Ghanian fault system is active and stressed.

Earlier in the year, in response to these tremors, a ten-man committee was inaugurated by the Minister of Interior, Mr. Ambrose Dery (MP), to develop a Comprehensive Framework for Refocusing National Earthquake Preparedness and Response within the country. The committee is expected to identify and outline key measures that must be undertaken by relevant Agencies to empower communities to be well prepared and resilient for reduction of seismic risk; outline other response measures required by stakeholders/agencies in the event of an earthquake, to include the recovery phase; and evaluate the capacities of relevant bodies mandated with national response to identify resource gaps and recommend measures to augment their capabilities towards effective response. The committee is currently working to achieve its aims.

Digital seismic networks are used to determine earthquakes locations and magnitude, to issue alarms, specific or general seismic monitoring and provide data for research on the interior of the earth.

According to Ghana’s seismologist, Nicholas Opuku, Ghana Digital Seismic Network equipment was purchased by Ghana Geological Survey (GGS) through the budgetary support of the Ghanian government. It also funded six remote stations including strong, ten-stand-alone motion accelerometers and the building of a new Seismological Observatory.

The Digital Seismic Network equipment was procured from Nanometrics Inc., Canada. Geological Survey.

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