Floods displaces over 121,000
people in Northern Ghana
By Masahudu Ankiilu Kunateh, Ghanadot
Accra, Sept 28, Ghanadot -
Authentic reports reaching Ghanadot office in Accra revealed
that over 121,000 people in 26 districts in the three
northern regions, comprising the Northern, Upper East and
Upper West Regions remain in distress following recent
floods that claimed eight lives and damaged several
property.
According to the reports at least 24 communities are still
cut cut-off from the rest of the country and the National
Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) is commandeering
aid for distribution to the affected communities.
Briefing the journalists in Tamale on Sunday, Kofi Portuphy,
National Coordinator of NADMO called the human suffering
"excessive" and appealed for further assistance to bring
succour to the affected persons whose suffering escalated on
September 22 when more rains made their situation further
worse.
He disclosed that 924 communities and their farms had either
been washed away or submerged by the raging waters due to
the swelling of major water bodies in the affected areas.
The flooding was made worse by the opening of
the Bagre Hydro Dam in neighbouring Burkina Faso, thus
inundating thousands of communities sited along the banks of
the rivers.
Mr Portuphy added that at least 5,104 houses have collapsed,
13 public schools have been destroyed and 30, 000 acres of
farm land have been destroyed.
Talking about the inaccessible 24 communities, Mr Portuphy
said the military had provided helicopters that are now
being used to reach the people.
The NADMO boss said although officials of his outfit had
used a combination of outboard motors to get to some of the
settlements, this had not been so with the 24 because of
tree stumps which constitute a hazard to the rotor of the
machines. Touching on cause of death of the 8 persons Mr
Portuphy indicated that some of them were swept away as they
made attempts to salvage farm and household effects. He said
even now, the NADMO had to relocate some of its relief
centres as the floodwaters surged but it had been difficult
to do same with most of the communities because of their
refusal to leave behind personal effects.
So far the NADMO had distributed household wares, food
items, lamps, blankets and clothing. Of particular concern
to N ADMO is the possible outbreak of diseases such as
cholera, typhoid and dysentery because almost all sources of
drinking water have been contaminated.
The NADMO chief said that difficulty was being resolved by
the provision of water treating tablets to chlorate drinking
water. He said in view of the sheer scale of the disaster,
government had appealed for support from organizations
including the UN system and the response had been
satisfactory. Mr Portuphy said the United Nations
Development Programme (UNDP) was collaborating with NADMO to
provide short gestation seedlings to farmers.
Responding to questions as to why it has not been possible
for the NADMO to resettle the affected farmers Mr Portuphy
said NADMO, in collaboration with the Red Cross Society,
built 300 houses around Nawulu following the 2007 floods but
the people refused to occupy them. Mr Portuphy commended the
Field Engineer Regiment of the Ghana Army which had helped
to secure safe passage to the Janga, Kpanusikpe and Kabori
communities.
Outlining ways to contain future floods he said NADMO had
proposed the construction of dams in addition to building
raised highways that could serve as buffer.
Meanwhile, the Vice President of Ghana, John Mahama, who
hails from Bole in the Northern Region had visited some of
the affected communities and presented relief items to them
and appealed to the relief coordinators to discharge their
duty devoid of partisan interests in the distribution of the
items. Vice President Mahama directed that more relief items
should be given directly to women and children rather than
channeling them through heads of families.
Ghanadot
