Floods damage salt pans at Apam

Apam(C/R), July 4, GNA - About 600 salt producing pans belonging to members of the Apam Salt Development Corporation(ASDC) have been destroyed by floods caused by the recent heavy rains. According to Nana Adu-Effrim X, Chief of Apam and Executive Chairman of ASDC, the corporation was made up of 13 small Scale salt mining groups, in the town.

Nana Effrim speaking after he and Safohene Kojo Blankson, an executive member ASDC, had taken newsmen to inspect the damage said more than 2 billion cedis would be needed to rehabilitate the pans, adding that, about 1.5 billion cedis would be required to start the rehabilitation.

Safohene Blankson appealed to the Government, organisations including NGOs and the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) for assistance to enable the members reactivate their pans. About 250 bags of cement would be needed to rehabilitate each pan capable of producing about 200 Bags of salt a day.

Nana Effrim said the disaster had affected the employment of about 2,000 people engaged in the 13 salt winning groups.

He said, however, that with assistance the pans could be reactivated in a very short time after the raining season.

Meanwhile floods have caused an outbreak of typhoid and malaria at Apam.

According to Health officials in the area, the outbreak was the result of mosquitoes and some strange flies breeding in stagnant water around the Apaabaka lagoon.

Nana Effrim disclosed that the sand dune between the lagoon and the sea would broken to allow for the free flow of water from the lagoon into the sea. 04 Jul 04