General News of Tuesday, 24 December 2019

Source: pulse.com.gh

4 times floods hit Ghana hard in 2019

Various parts of Ghana have seen periods of heavy rain from 13 May 2019. Various parts of Ghana have seen periods of heavy rain from 13 May 2019.

Flooding in the country occurs regularly. Many blame the degradation of the city's rivers and drainage systems.

A $200 million project to improve flood resilience in Accra was approved by the World Bank on May 29, 2019.

Ghanaians experiencing floods in 2019 is not different from other years and Pulse.com.gh highlights some areas affected by flood this year.

University of Cape Coast floods

Six hours of heavy rainfall has left several houses inundated and residents in Cape Coast and its environs trapped indoors.

Following the downpour which started Tuesday, major roads have been rendered impassable by motorists amid heavy vehicular traffic.

School authorities have cautioned parents not to risk bringing their wards to school considering the situation.

The University of Cape Coast has also suspended lectures as campus gets flooded.

The downpour in the Central region comes in the wake of a series of floods that have hit parts of the country in a surprise change in the rainfall pattern.

Ashanti region floods

Five people have been confirmed dead and one missing following heavy rain that caused flooding in some parts of Kumasi in the Ashanti region.

Also, flooding struck in Obuasi after a downpour lasting around 2 hours on Wednesday, 15 May 2019. Reports said areas affected included Brahabebome, Tutuka, and Akaporiso.

This is one of several spates of flash flooding to affect the country since March this year.

Various parts of Ghana have seen periods of heavy rain from 13 May 2019.

Upper East floods

Days of heavy rain in north-eastern Ghana and bordering areas of Burkina Faso have caused devastating flooding in the Upper East Region.

The affected districts include Bolgatanga, Kassena-Nankana Municipal (Navrongo),

Kassena Nankana West, Bawku Municipal, Builsa North, Builsa South, Binduri, Talensi, Garu-Tempane and Bongo.

It is reported that as many as 29 people may have died in flood-related incidents. Media reports also suggested that between 1,000 and 4,000 buildings have been destroyed or severely damaged, including almost 2,000 in Kassena-Nankana Municipal, which includes the town of Navrongo and 830 in the Bongo district.

Spillage from the Tono Irrigation Dam has left 844 hectares of farmland under water in Kassena-Nankana Municipal.

The high death toll was disputed by the government Minister Salifu Saeed, who visited affected areas.

He said 17 people were confirmed dead in the recent flooding in the region and "urged the public to disregard the early publication that said over 27 people had died."

The National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) said it is sending relief items to support communities affected by floods in the Upper East Region.

Tema-Motorway

The flood inundated the Accra-Tema motorway on Monday, October 28, 2019, after about an hour of downpour in the national capital.

The rains flooded many homes in areas such as Legon and the 19-kilometer road (Tema motorway).

Even though the downpour was without the characteristic force that had occasioned many flood situations in the country, it rendered many streets impassable, leaving in its wake heaps of debris of mainly plastic materials as the waters forced their way through choked drains.

Apart from motorists encountering difficulties in driving in the rains, they also had to endure heavy traffic situations at some intersections.