Tragedy - Floods kill Family Of Three In Kumasi

Children trying to cross the flood waters after school at Yamoransa

From Accra to Damongo, Kumasi to Yamoransa, heavy rains over the weekend continued to wreak havoc on many parts of the country and claimed three lives in Kumasi.

The tragedy occurred in Kumasi when the Owabi River burst its banks during a heavy downpour and the flood waters swept through many homes at Kyekyere, near Kronom in the Kumasi metropolis, killing a couple and their seven-year-old child.

The deceased, Kwaku Boakye, 66, Amma Amponsah, 50, and Kwame Appiah, the seven-year-old child, got drowned when they were asleep in their room.

While the bodies of Boakye and his son were retrieved last Saturday, that of the woman was found yesterday. Their remains have been deposited at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) morgue.

Narrating the incident to the Daily Graphic, Mrs Vivien Akumia, the Kumasi Metro Co-ordinator of National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), said there had been a heavy downpour in Kumasi last Friday night which lasted for about two hours.

During the downpour, the victims were in their residence close to the confluence of the Owabi and the Abremponsuo rivers at Kyekyere.

The NADMO co-ordinator said the rains were so heavy that the Owabi River overflowed its banks and the resultant force of the flood waters from both rivers pulled down the building in which the victims were sleeping.

Heavy rains washed away part of the Damongo Central Market in the West Gonja District and created deep gullies which pose a danger to the traders, as well as residents around it.

The Damongo Market attracts traders from the Upper West and Ashanti regions, as well as Tamale, Buipe, Sawla, Bole and Yapei.

In an interview, some of the traders expressed concern over the situation and called on the authorities to check the erosion in the area.

They also indicated that many traders had stopped patronising the market because of the deep gullies caused by the rains.

The District Chief Executive, Adam Muntawakilu, and the Member of Parliament for Damongo/Daboya, Sammy B. Wusah, expressed concerned over the deplorable state of the market and pledged to ensure the construction of gutters to enhance drainage there.

They appealed to the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development to assist the district assembly in its revenue mobilisation.

In Accra, parts of the metropolis experienced heavy flooding again during the weekend's downpour.

The rains, which lasted almost the whole of yesterday, affected both economic and church activities in the capital.

The streets were mostly empty, with most residents staying indoors to avoid any mishap in the course of the downpour.

While the main Odaw drain was filled to the brim, the Obetsebi-Lamptey Circle, the Mpramprom road, the area under the Kaneshie overheard bridges, First Light, the Dansoman Junction and the Darkuman Junction were affected.

The frontage of PHC Motors, the side of the Royal House Chapel, parts of the Graphic Road, among other places, were also flooded.

All the major and minor drains were flooded, making the flow of water difficult.

At First Light, some young men took advantage of the situation to charge GH¢1 to carry stranded persons from one end of the road to the other.

Those young men were also seen pushing vehicles that got stuck in the floods for a fee. During a tour of flood-prone areas last Thursday, the Head of Drainage and Flood Control at the Hydrological Services Department of the Ministry of Water Resources, Works and Housing, Mr Wise Ametefe, said a major drain at First Light needed to be redesigned and expanded.

He said the drain which took water from Mataheko, Bubuashie and Darkuman was too narrow to take the volume of water from those areas.

Compounding the problem, he said, was the laying of a utility cable and choking of the drain by garbage and plastic waste.

Shirley Asiedu-Addo reports from Cape Coast that the Yamoransa barrier side of the Cape Coast-Accra highway got flooded last Friday, holding several travellers for about an hour.

Vehicles had to stop to allow the flood waters to subside to an appreciable level before policemen at the barrier helped to manage the situation for easy flow of traffic.

The road from the main Cape Coast-Accra road to Moree also got flooded and schoolchildren and some adults were seen wading through the water, despite the potential danger.

Residents around the barrier said this year's flooding was very severe. At Yamoransa, many houses were flooded, forcing the occupants to take refuge in houses that were not affected, while others scooped muddy water from their rooms.

Madam Araba Mansa, one of the affected residents of Yamoransa, said they were not sure where they would spend the night.

“Maybe with friends because all our bedding is wet,” she said.

The acting Central Regional Co-ordinator of NADMO, Mr Tony Joe Arkorful, who assessed the situation, advised the affected persons and those likely to be affected by subsequent rains to evacuate their valuables, since more rains were expected.

He also advised the community to clear drains and gutters to ensure the free flow of rain water. He later supplied mattresses to the affected persons.

The Mfantseman Municipal Chief Executive, Mr Kweku Hayfron, described the situation as unfortunate and gave the assurance that the assembly would make efforts to alleviate the plight of the affected persons.