Three die and 22,008 others affected in Northern and Upper East

Three deaths have been recorded while a total of 22,008 persons have also been affected in the recent floods in the Northern and Upper East regions.

Out of the number, a total of 14,380 persons have been affected in six districts of the Northern Region, while the upper East Region also recorded 7,628 in some communities.

This came to light when President John Dramani Mahama on Thursday visited all the affected communities of the two regions to assess the extent of damage the spillage of the Bagri Dam in Southern Burkina Faso had caused in those areas.

President Mahama, who visited Kpassinpe and Daboya in the Northern Region and Bawku and Mugnori in the Upper East Region, also learnt at first hand that a total of 1,725 farmlands in the Northern Region had been destroyed, while 3,152 persons had also been displaced by the disaster.

The President announced that apart from sending relief items through the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) made up lanterns, buckets, blankets, maize, rice and soap for distribution to the victims, government was also working out other packages from the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority and other philanthropists.

President Mahama also tasked the Ministry of Roads and Highways to use the services of the mobile maintenance unit to work on roads in the affected areas to enable them to go about their daily duties without further hindrance.

He announced that government through the Ministry of Food and Agriculture would supply the affected farmers with farming inputs that would help them to reclaim some of the losses that had affected their livelihood.

President Mahama gave the assurance that government would work on all affected feeder roads in the overseas areas of the Northern region that had the potential of becoming the food basket of the region in the succeeding years.

Madam Helen Ntoso, Head of the Urban Search and Rescue Department of NADMO, said government through the Ministry of Food and Agriculture had introduced high and faster hybrid of food crops that would enable them to harvest before the rains would set in.

She promised that NADMO would continue to play a leading role in educating the people against engaging in practices that could result into disasters.