Residents Cashing In On Upper East Flooding

Reports say, residents of Pwalugu in the Talensi District of the Upper East Region, have been cashing in as volunteers by helping drivers who ply along that route following some days of flood disaster.

This is because floodwaters have submerged portions of the road.

Drivers of articulated trucks and passenger vehicles have to pay between GHS5 to GHS10 to be guided to use the road safely.

Some volunteers engaged in guiding these vehicles in a Citi News interview explained the rationale behind their intervention.

One of the volunteers said: “The floodwaters have been disturbing annually and so, drivers must be careful when they get here. So, all vehicles and motorists plying this stretch fall on us to help them cross otherwise they will fall into trouble.”

“Yesterday, we had to rescue some passengers from the floodwaters when they refused to get us some monies to help them cross,” another volunteer said.

He thus urged drivers to fall on them for help when they get there.

“So, we urge drivers to be patient, and let’s help them cross when they get here,” he added.

Another volunteer also said “We are helping the vehicles to cross and without us, many vehicles would have fallen into the floodwaters. We do not charge them, but they get us something to help them cross.”

“But for our intervention, many vehicles would have fallen into the floodwaters, we had to help a vehicle which almost fell into the waters.”

The Talensi District Coordinator of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) Robert Alpha, in a Citi News interview, said measures have been put in place to prevent any eventuality.

“We got the information yesterday, and we quickly moved in here with the DCE, the police, the BNI, and we deployed the security to ensure that there is order around the area. Our disaster and rescue management group are also there to guide the cars to prevent casualties by protecting lives and properties. That is basically what we have been doing here,” Robert Alpha added.

The spillage of the Bagre dam coupled with torrential rains submerged hundreds of farmlands and displaced some residents.

The situation has grounded articulated trucks and passenger vehicles.

The situation is no different at the Pwalugu bridge stretch of the Bolga-Tamale road.

The floods waters have submerged the stretch of the road making it unmotorable without a guide.

All vehicles coming from either side of the road have to be guided by volunteers to ply the road to prevent any vehicle from being washed away by the floodwaters.

---CitiNewsRoom