Minister urges residents in flood prone areas to evacuate voluntarily

Mr Kwasi Adu-Gyan, the Bono East Regional Minister has urged people living in flood prone areas to evacuate voluntarily in their own interest.

“We must be responsible for our wellbeing and avoid building and residing at flood prone areas”, the Regional Minister, also the Chairman of the Bono East Regional Security Council advised when he visited some flooding communities near Yeji in the Pru East District of the region.

Mr Adu-Gyan was accompanied by Nana Eric Agyemang Prempeh, the Director-General of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), to assess the level of impact in the flooded communities.

The spillage of the Bagre Dam in neighbouring Burkina Faso has inundated more than 12 fishing and communities around the Volta Lake in the District and displaced about 2,554 people.

Torrential rains in the area had further worsened the situation, with Fantiekura, Pentecost Nsuano, Adiembra Number Three, Bayawaya, Vutidekey, Agorkope being the most affected.

Mr Adu-Gyan stressed that the recurring cases of flooding in parts of the country were partly due to the irresponsibility of some people and advised the public against putting up structures on waterways.

“If you continue staying at waterways and flood prone areas, it is not good to your general well-being because that is detrimental to your welfare,” he stated, saying, “these areas always become flooded because whenever water decides to take its course, it’s difficult to control.”

The Regional Minister called for attitudinal change among Ghanaians and called on Municipal and District Assemblies to enforce their bye-laws on the environment.

Mr Adu-Gyan indicated the government spent a lot during disasters such as flooding, saying such monies could be channelled to other investments “only if we do things well.”

Earlier, Nana Prempeh on behalf of the government, presented relief items, including 300 mattresses, quantities of buckets, cups, bowls, and food items to the victims.

The food items comprise bags of rice and maize, cooking oils and other consumables.

Pimampim Yaw Kaberese IV, the Paramount Chief of the Yeji Traditional Area thanked the government for supporting the affected people and appealed for more support for their upkeep.

GNA