Rains wash off roads in Builsa District

Sandema (U/E), Aug 21, GNA - At least about 150 households have been displaced in the Builsa District following three days of rainfall. The people are putting up with relatives and friends and may have to be relocated to schools, churches and other public facilities. Some houses have collapsed while others are showing signs of collapse. Authorities in the district have made arrangements for victims of the expected floods to lodge in schools, public and other religious facilities should the situation worsen. The Builsa District Engineer for Water and Sanitation, Mr. Moses Awarikaro, said this when Mr. Awudu Yirimeah, a Deputy Minister for Local Government, Environment a Rural Development, visited the area on Wednesday to assess progress of work on feeder roads under reconstructed in the area after the last year's floods. The reconstruction works being undertaken throughout the region is under the Northern Floods Reconstruction Programme (NFRP), a programme funded mostly by donor agencies such as the World Bank.

The World Food Programme, through the Ministry of Health, has dispatched bags of maize for distribution to last year's flood victims. It is expected that more relief items is sent ahead of time considering the damage expected when Burkina Faso opens the Bagre Dam on Thursday.

Communities so far affected by the rains include Kore, Nyansa, Kadem, Tankun, Dominsa, Batwonse Senesi among others. Mr. Awarikaro said contractors working on most of the roads under the NFRP for the last three days have not had access to their sites. The Builsa District Assembly has already exhausted its contingency funds through purchases of food items for victims of last year's floods and is handicapped in terms of support for the current flood victims. Mr. Yirimeah said government had sourced additional funding of about 22 million dollars to continue with works on the reconstruction programme.