Rainstorm kills boy, destroys properties in Bongo District

A seventeen year old primary six boy died while many others sustained various degrees of injury when a heavy rainstorm swept through Bongo District of the Upper East Region.

It also destroyed properties worth several millions of Ghana Cedis.

The affected properties include school buildings; the Ayone Primary, Zorko Gamborongo Primary, Kanga Kango Primary, Boko Primary and Awiisi Primary and Junior High Schools, which had their roofs ripped off.

Additionally, over 56 houses and personal effects were also destroyed. Those affected are seeking refuge with relatives and friends.

Conducting newsmen around some of the affected areas, the District Chief Executive (DCE) of Bongo, Mr Clement Akugre, expressed worry about the situation and said it would hamper academic work because with no roofs, schools would have to close whenever it threatens to rain.

He stated that some of the affected schools experienced similar problems last year and the District Assembly had to spend huge sums of money to rehabilitate them and appealed to the people to plant trees around the schools and houses to serve as windbreaks.

The DCE, who donated 50 packets of roofing sheets and mattresses on behalf of the Assembly to the affected persons, said the measure was an interim one and that the National Disaster Management Organisation would assess the situation and respond accordingly.

He also visited the parents of the deceased and presented a packet of roofing sheets, one bottle of schnapps and 500 Ghana cedis to them.

Mr Akugre was accompanied by the Paramount Chief of Bongo, Baba Salifu Aleemyarum.

He commended the Chief, for playing an effective role in supporting the development agenda of the District.

“This is helping to reduce the pressure and the load of the Assembly. His Green Bongo Project is helping to address desertification in the District. His rich knowledge and experience are also tapped for the development of the Assembly. Through his initiatives, tracts of land have been acquired for development projects.”

Baba Salifu Aleemyarum, on his part, appealed to his sub-chiefs to ensure that they plant trees in their respective communities and not to hesitate to give out lands for development purposes.**