A portion of a road that links parts of the Tempane District to Garu all in the Bawku area has been submerged in deep floodwaters at Gagbire No.1 community, GhanaWeb’s Upper East Correspondent, Senyalah Castro, reports.
A well that serves as a source of drinking water to members of the Gagbire No.1 community, has also been swallowed up by the flooding in the area caused by torrential rains.
The Tamne Dam, which has been constructed to boost agricultural activities in the two districts, is unable to hold the higher volumes of water from its eight tributaries, leading to a backward movement of the water towards Gagbire and other communities.
About 20 houses in different communities in the area, according to an assessment by the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO), are expected to be affected by the backward movement of the water into settlements.
The NADMO also assessed that more than 200 acres of farmlands are in danger of being lost to the floods, an assessment which has been corroborated by members of the affected communities who said they are facing difficulties.
Speaking to GhanaWeb in an interview, some members of the Gagbire No.1 community said since the disaster struck, they have been unable to travel to Garu township which is closer to them for business activities and health care.
They said travelling to Garu through the Taringa-Tempane stretch, which has become their only option, is expensive and tiresome.
They explained that travellers from Gagbire before the floods paid a transport fare of Ghc 2.00 to Garu and another Ghc2.00 to return, but since the flooding, the fare has doubled. They said transport operators increased the fare due to the lengthy nature of the only available route which is through the Taringa-Tempane township stretch.
Abukari Amina, a resident told GhanaWeb that, “this is the road which is short for us and because of that we used to pay Ghc2.00. But now because of the disaster, when we use the Tempane road, we pay Ghc8 in and out”.
“So, we are pleading to the government to come and construct the road for us. We want the government to construct the road from Gagbire to Garu for us so that when we are sick, we will be able to transport ourselves for health care. Because of the flooding, a journey to Garu town is now very long”. She added.
Hawa Yakubu, another community member, lamented the difficulty they face daily in getting drinking water since the floods muddied and buried the only well in the community. She said they now depend on the wells of other communities for water for domestic use which sometimes they are driven away from.
She appealed to the authorities to provide the Gagbire No.1 community with a borehole to address their drinking water needs.
Former Assemblyman blames flooding on “poorly constructed” Tamne Dam
Dominic Abugri Asaana, the former Assemblyman for the Gagbire electoral area, told GhanaWeb the flooding has affected education as over 218 basic school children in the area were unable to go to school.
He explained that the school children were unable to cross over to the other side due to the high volume of floodwater, a situation which has forced the children to stay at home for long.
Mr. Asaana said the situation was worrying and the government needed to take urgent steps to address the issue of perennial flooding in the area. He also revealed that several farmlands measuring nearly 372 acres have been destroyed in the floods.
The former Assemblyman blamed the havoc on the poor manner in which the Tamne Dam has been constructed. He said authorities failed to discuss the construction of the dam with opinion leaders for proper guidance before work commenced.
He said the construction of the dam led to the blocking of 8 rivers that flow into the dam from Sankaasi, Winyanga, Dapango, Kwatia and Winkambo areas.
He said, “we were not properly consulted. They (contractor) hurriedly executed the dam project. That was in the time of the NDC. They were not listening to what we were saying. They were not coming closer to sit with opinion leaders to get their suggestions so that we join together and come to a better conclusion”.
Upper East Regional Minister urges calm, assures government’s intervention
The Upper East Regional Minister, Stephen Yakubu, who toured the area to assess the extent of damage caused by the floods, urged residents of the affected communities to keep calm as the government puts in efforts to address the challenges.
He said even though the floods were being attributed to the construction of the Tamne dam, residents should see its construction as an opportunity for the area to boost agricultural activities.
Mr. Yakubu said, “Also, my advice to them is that they shouldn’t see this water as a hazard. But we should see the water as an opportunity here because during the dry season if you come here the place is completely dry and all our youth will travel down south to look for jobs that are basically not there. So, now we have all this water collected here. We should be thinking of how we are going to use this water to do all-year farming so that we will be able to feed ourselves and also to sell part of our products to make money to look after our children. That is the main purpose of this dam”.
While assuring that action would be taken to improve roads and bridges in the area when the water recedes, Mr. Yakubu tasked the Tempane District Assembly to provide the Gagbire No. 1 community with basic amenities such as boreholes, a health centre and a school.
He assured that the government was committed to improving the lives of people in the rural areas to make them comfortable.
