Treat floods in Upper East as a national disaster

Mr Prince Bagnaba Mba, President of Forum for National Equity has called on government to treat the floods in the Upper East Region that claimed about 20 lives as a national disaster that needs emergent attention.

He also appealed to residents in the affected areas to re-locate to higher grounds in order to avoid subsequent torrential rains and their ramifications on their lives.

Mr Mba, who was speaking exclusively to the Ghana News Agency in an interview in Accra on the floods in region also urged government to find a permanent solution the perennial problem that claimed hundreds of lives over the year.

Torrential rains that lasted for over two weeks have claimed 21 lives according to figures from the National Disaster Management Organisation(NADMO).

Cumulatively, from January 2019, a total of 28 lives were lost in the floods, while 640 people are currently displaced in so many communities of the Region, with about 19 people also receiving medical attention at various health facilities in the region.

Mr Mba said the spillage of the Bagre dam in Burkina Faso that claimed so many lives annually should also be tackled to ensure that the practice was stopped.

He also suggested to government to expedite action on the construction of the Pwalugu and other dams that would contain the situation by absorbing water from Burkina Faso dams during the spillage.

“This year, Burkina Faso has not yet spilled the dam and yet we are recording this number of deaths and I am afraid we could lose more lives if immediate attention is not paid to the plight of the people of the region.”
Mr Mba called on Philanthropists and Non-Governmental Organisations to complement the efforts of government at re-settlingg the displaced people in the region.