Accra, Sept. 9, GNA – The National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) has dispatched an assessment team to each of the Northern, Upper East and Upper West Regions as part of its response to the floods in the north, which, it says, are likely to be aggravated by the spillage of water from the Bagre Dam in neighbouring Burkina Faso.
In addition, a special rescue team comprising the 48 Engineer Regiment of the Ghana Army and the NADMO Rapid Response Team have moved to the north to respond to any emergencies that may arise due to the flooding.
The team which will be based at Walewale in the Northern Region, has the capability to swiftly respond to any emergency in any part of the three northern regions, according to a statement issued in Accra on Wednesday.
The assessment teams, made up of NADMO personnel and members of the Hydro-meteorological and Relief/Reconstruction Technical Committees comprising meteorologists, hydrologists, town and country planners, city engineers, medical officers, highway/urban/feeder roads engineers, and other professionals will be joined by the district assemblies and other stakeholders in the various districts.
According to the statement, the teams are to assess the flood situation with the relevant UN agencies and NGOs and recommend appropriate measures to deal with it. Most of the northern parts of the country are currently experiencing severe floods due to torrential rainfall for the past three weeks.
Farms, buildings and other infrastructure have been destroyed. The flood situation has been exacerbated by the opening of the Bagre Dam on September 4, 2009. According to the statement, by Sunday, September 6, the spilled dam water had reached Ghana through Upper East Region flooding the White Volta and its tributaries.
Source: GhanaWeb
