Tamale, Sept. 19, GNA - More than 991 houses and 11,295 farms have been destroyed in the Northern Region, following persistent rainfall and spillage from Bagre and Kompienga dams in Burkina Faso. The worst affected communities are West Mamprusi and West Gonja Districts popularly known as the "overseas" which are partly covered by water and cut of from the rest of the region.

Mr. Stephen Sumani Nayina, Northern Regional Minister, disclosed this at a press briefing on the flood situation in Tamale on Friday. He said the main road through Nawuni and Daboya in the Northern Region and Sandema in the Upper East Region were cut off as a result of the over flooding of the Kulpawn, Sisili and White Volta rivers. Mr. Nayina said: "A helicopter is urgently needed to enable us ascertain the condition of the over 80,000 people living within that area".

He said the floods had seriously affected the Tolon/Kumbungu, Saboba, Zabzugu/Tatale, Nanumba South, Yendi and Kpandi Districts along the Oti River.

Mr Nayina said 214 communities and 63,030 persons had been affected by the floods, five schools had collapsed, four deaths were recorded and two people injured.

He said roads and bridges were damaged and most of the communities could only be reached by boat or canoe.

Mr Nayina said water sources including more than 500 hand dug wells and boreholes had been contaminated and expressed fear that this could result in diarrhoea and other diseases. He said the region urgently needed relief items such as maize, rice, beans, cooking oil and utensils, salt, sugar, mats, lanterns, used clothing and medical supplies like drugs and detergents. Mr Nayina appealed to individuals, organisations, development partners and countries to assist the victims to relocate, reconstruct their houses and to rehabilitate destroyed infrastructure.