Bawku Farmers Engulfed By Floods

Sadness has been drawn on the faces of hundreds of farmers in the Bawku area, as floods consume thousands of hectares of farmlands.

The government's flagship programme 'Planting for food and jobs' that was well embraced and showed potential to produce bumper for farmers is being threatened by nature, thereby reducing the hopes of farmers to that of despair.

Residents, mostly farmers in the Bawku Municipality, Bawku West, Binduri Districts and their environs were hit by heavy rains that destroyed properties including farm lands and homes among others, running into thousands of cedis.

The flood submerged most farms following ceaseless down pour which lasted for about seven hours each day for two days making the White Volta where most farms are located to overflow its banks.

There are uneasy calm among farmers most of whom had predicted good harvest only to be hit by these torrential rains bringing despair and hopelessness to them.

Thousands of hectares of farm lands have been submerged and destroyed by the flood, affecting crops such as sorghum, water Mellon, maize, early millet, beans, and groundnuts among others.

Most of the cereals were almost at maturity and in some few weeks were expected to be harvested; however, the floods have disrupted their continuation.

Mr Julius Agolisi, a farmer and Assembly Member for the Timonde Electoral Area, said they were first hit this year by the late start of rains and now their crops were at its production stage and the floods have come to destroy them.

Mr Agolisi predicted bad harvest, should the rains continue in their magnitude and noted that 'bad harvest means food insecurity and hunger'.

The residents who are mostly farmers called on the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO), Non-governmental Organizations (NGO), and Philanthropic individuals and organisations to come to their aid.

Mr Daniel Anania Atampuba, Acting Coordinator for NADMO in the Bawku West District and a team visited the affected areas at the weekend to assess the extent of damage and called on the residents and farmers farming along the White Volta to move to high grounds for safety.

He urged them to remain calm whilst his outfit made efforts to communicate with its headquarters in Accra for the necessary action.

The affected areas include Mongnori, Sapeliga, Bansi, Nafkoliga, Tambeigu, Guzongo, Galaka, Salpiiga, Sakpad, Googo, Kobore, Yarigu, Timond-Bugut Gurre, Timon-Natinga, Timon-Goriga, Tangkpalsako, Boya Kpalsako, Binaba, Kopela, Dagunga, Zongoiri and their surrounding villages.

GNA
By Jerry Azanduna/Rihana Adam Akologo, GNA