Ras Mubarak describes North East floods as ‘calamity of Biblical proportions’

Member of Parliament for Kumbungu Constituency, Ras Mubarak has described the recent flood in the North East Region as a calamity of Biblical proportions, following the level of destruction the floods have caused to lives and properties.

He told journalists that farm lands and about 47 homes have been destroyed by the floods, a situation he had never seen before.

“I am close to tears because I know these particular communities very well. We are seeing a calamity of Biblical proportions."

“There are people who were born here who are adults today who have never seen anything like this in the history of the area. It is complete devastation. About 47 homes have been submerged,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Volta River Authority (VRA) has announced plans to resettle residents along the White Volta to protect them against the disaster.

The Authority has revealed that it is currently putting in place plans to enable it relocate settlers along the White Volta in the North East Region to protect them against floods and also the spillage of the Bagre Dam.

VRA announced this after some of its officials donated relief items to victims of the Bagre Dam spillage and floods in the Northern Region, on Thursday, September 17.

Reports indicate that the spillage from the Bagre Dam coupled with torrential rains in the north has so far killed 11 people.

Hundreds of farmlands have been submerged, a situation that has adversely affected livelihoods while several homes have also been destroyed.

VRA’s David Prah told journalists that the authority is currently assessing and valuing farm lands, buildings and other properties that have been affected by the floods.

He explained that the move was also to completely move these people from the low-lying settlement to high grounds as the construction of the Pwalugu Multipurpose Dam, which is to be completed in four years begins.

He said: “As we are all aware the Pwalugu Multipurpose Dam Project is a three-key project . The first one is 60MW hydro power project and then the second one is also critical that is the 50MW solar facility and then the third one is the mega one, which is the 2400 hectare square irrigation facility. These three come together to form the Pwalugu Multipurpose dam project.

“What we are doing is to look at the valuation of the properties in the demarcated areas. So all the lands, buildings, farms and other properties that are in the dam boundaries, we are assessing them currently.

“It is critical to help us prepare the RAP so this issue of flooding will be a thing of the past. Because we are going to take the people within the low-lying areas from there and we will settle, them to a different place. So they will not be affected, let alone be killed.”