Several communities identified as flood prone areas in the Bolgatanga Municipality of the Upper East Region yesterday morning experienced serious flooding following hours of torrential rains. Though no death had been recorded so far, many people had been displaced with houses and farm lands submerged in flood waters due to the heavy downpour that lasted for almost five hours. Affected areas include the Bolgatanga Estate area, Pobaga, Sawaba,Nyariga, Pwalugu and Yarigabiisi among other nearby communities. Victims affected by the floods are putting up with relatives, friends and sympathizers, while others have sought refuge in churches and school buildings. Most people have also been trapped in their homes and farms due to the devastating nature of the floods. A visit by Radio Ghana to some of the affected places saw people seeking refuge on top of roofs and trees since there was no boat or canoes to reach out to the affected. The flood situation is worse in areas where buildings and structures are cited near water bodies because the rains have caused some of these water bodies to overflow it banks, thus compounding the situation. The Upper East Regional Minister, Mark Woyongo and officials from the Regional NADMO office have since toured some of the affected areas to sympathize with the victims. Mr. Woyongo in a brief remark expressed worry about the increasing incident of flooding in most parts of the region and the country in general and attributed it to sheer negligence and indiscipline among some individuals. He gave the assurance that his outfit will liaise with the appropriate authorities to ensure that persons affected by the floods are assisted as soon as possible. He charged officials of NADMO to do an impact assessment on the extent of damage caused to houses and farm lands affected as a result of the flooding. Mr. Woyongo also charged the department of the Town and Country Planning to come out with bye laws that would restrict persons from building on water ways. According to him, such bye-laws when enacted should be enforced so that people will not flout building regulations as it done in other counties. Mr Woyongo further gave a stern warning to people who litter around causing gutters and drains to be chocked. The Regional NADMO Coordinator, Mr Patrick Akake told Radio Ghana that his outfit is on top of the situation and would ensure that affected victims are provided with relief items as soon as possible. Most of the victims he said would be assisted with bags of maize whilst they await other items like blankets and mattresses for displaced persons. He said though it is difficult to ascertain the number of houses and farmlands affected, NADMO will release the limited resources at their disposal to cater for the few identified communities. Mr Akake used the opportunity to caution residents in low lying areas to move up lands since the rains have set in. He moreover urged residents to exercise restraint and refrain against activities that could cause flooding.
GBC END IA/
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