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05.09.2009 Regional News

Floods ravage Upper East again!

05.09.2009 LISTEN
By William N-lanjerborr Jalulah, Bolgatanga - Ghanaian Chronicle

MANY HOMES, farmlands, business centers, and schools were last Tuesday hit by floods following a persistent heavy downpour that started in the early hours of that fateful day.

Parts of Builsa District and other hard hit areas of the 2007 flood disaster were not spared either.

In the Bolgatanga Municipality, areas such as Sawaba and the entire low-lying areas of Estates, Abole Junction, Adom Kiddies, a private educational institution, Mount Sinai, and the Royal Hotel were overcome by flood waters.

It could be recalled that in late July and mid August 2007, a similar flood hit the region, destroying personal effects, rendering individuals homeless, putting school pupils and students out of classes, and also leading to the loss of human and animal lives.

At Sawaba, it was reported that a pregnant woman was found on the roof of her house with her baby, and was later rescued by a rescue team of boat operators.

In order to ascertain the extent of damage, the Regional Minister, Mr. Mark Woyongo, swiftly visited the affected areas.

He also visited farmlands that were totally submerged by flood waters at Pwalugu in the Talensi-Nabdam District.

He observed that flooding in the region had become an annual ritual, and advised the affected people and those in other low-lying areas to move to higher grounds to avoid similar occurrences.

Mr. Woyongo expressed worry about the appalling nature of some major roads in the region, particularly, Bolgatanga-Bawku and others in the Builsa District, citing the potholes in the Bolgatanga Municipality that are now being described as dams.

He hinted that some of the roads were being awarded on contract for reshaping, while funds were being sought to award other ones.

He observed that if measures were not taken to curb the situation, some villages in the region would be cut off.

Mr. Woyongo and the new Regional Coordinator of the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO), Mr. Abakake Yanlorigya, said there were no relief items in the stores of the organisation, thus no assistance so far for the victims.

The Regional Minister has however forwarded an SOS message to Accra for consideration.

A check on the affected areas by Upper East File indicated that the flood waters had receded, leaving debris behind.

Meanwhile, views sampled from a cross-section of farmers in the region, indicated they were now living in fear, over the reason that more heavy rains were likely to come, and could further aggravate the present worrying situation.

Rain patterns this year seem very favourable for farmers, as they rejoice over their promising good-looking crops in anticipation of a bumper harvest, but if a similar downpour of last Tuesday should be experienced again, their joy may be cut short.

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