Ado-Ekiti — The Director General of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) Mohammed Sani Sidi yesterday raised the alarm that disasters were on the increase across the country.

Speaking in Ado-Ekiti while inaugurating disaster risk reductionamong students in five secondary schools in Ekiti state, Sidi said 60 percent of those affected by calamities were children.

Sidi, who was represented by the agency's assistant zonal coordinator in the South West, Mr. Babatunde Adebiyi, said that the purpose of establishing the club in schools was to reduce risks associated with emergencies.

" Disasters are on the rise. Children represent about 60 per cent of those affected by death, injuries and diseases from conditions that are exacerbated by disasters. Disasters also disrupt education", he said.

According to him, the agency in collaboration with the State

Emergency Management Agency is training the pupils and teachers as as well as providing first aids kits to them to know what to do during emergencies.

He said the agency believed that children should be "centrally engaged in reducing the risk of disasters to reduce the impacts on communities."

Also speaking, the Senior Fire Superintendent at the Ekiti State Fire Service, Mr. Olusola Famosaya, who enlightened the

pupils on the techniques to combat fire disaster, said the approach of catching them young would assist in prompt response to emergency situations.