Floods render about 1,000 people homeless

Kumasi, Oct 7, GNA- Following a heavy downpour in the Kumasi metropolis in the past few days, the 'Susan' and 'Aboabo' streams have overflowed their banks, and rendered about 1,000 people living along the streams homeless and destroyed property running into several millions of cedis.

The most affected areas included Oforikrom, Anloga, Aboabo and Atonsu. At Oforikrom, the floods also affected a transformer of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) and the Saint Michael Preparatory School.

Miss Elizabeth Agyemang, the NPP parliamentary candidate for Oforikrom, and Mr Sampson Kwaku Boafo, Ashanti Regional Minister inspected the affected areas.

Miss Agyemang noted that the problem in the area dated back several years and that efforts made by Mr Edward Osei Kwaku, Member of Parliament (MP) for Asokwa West to address the problem did not succeed. She attributed the problem to filth and poor sanitation in those communities and said if the problem was not checked, it could result in an epidemic.

Miss Agyemang said the situation was so serious that most of the buildings were submerged by the floods.

She appealed to the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) and the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) to go to the aid of the affected people.

Mr Boafo expressed concern about the situation and ordered the Department of Urban Roads to construct a temporary bridge across the 'Susan' stream at Oforikrom to enable the people to go about their economic activities.

Mr Boafo asked the people to refrain from constructing houses along the banks of streams and in waterways to avoid disasters. Mr Gabriel Dwomoh, Assemblyman for Oforikrom said the floods had over the years had affected the people and that all efforts to address the problem had failed.

He was, however, hopeful that the Oforikrom-Asokwa by-pass project to be undertaken by the KMA with assistance from the French Development Agency would help to address the problem once and for all.