Accra, April 11, GNA - The Ghana Red Cross Society (GRCS) is constructing over 320 houses in five districts in the Northern and Upper East Regions in support of victims that were hit by the floods last year. A statement by Mrs. Mina Yelu Attigah, Communications Manager of GRCS said the project was in collaboration with the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and the Department of Rural Housing.

Work on the construction of the houses, which started in January, this year would be completed by the end of this month. The statement said the construction became necessary because of severe torrential rain coupled with the opening of the Bagary Dam in Burkina Faso, destroyed over 15,000 housing units, and displaced many of the inhabitants who sought shelter in schools and churches. A significant number remained on their homestead, living in partially repaired houses or makeshift shelters or accommodated by relatives and neighbours. The Society responded to the needs of the people by assisting in the evacuation of the affected people and in salvaging their belongings from flood houses.

Thirty two volunteers were trained on beneficiary registration, food and non food item distribution techniques, after which they carried out the distribution of relief items including tarpaulins, mats, jerry cans, water purification tablets, soap and detergents, rice, gari, cooking oil and beans. The statement said the Society was currently supporting the families in the flood affected areas by ensuring house reconstruction through provision of reconstruction tool kits, shelter materials and the dissemination of simple, and better building techniques for more flood resistant houses. It said the criteria for beneficiary selection included those displaced and living in public facilities, those whose houses were completely destroyed, those living in areas where there was obvious scarcity of building materials and those in urgent need of building techniques.

The statement said in the Northern Region, communities such as Daboya, Lingbisi and Disa were benefiting from a total of 107 houses, whilst 213 houses were being constructed in the Balungu and Zorko communities in the Upper East Region. Officials of the Department of Rural Housing are supervising and monitoring the construction process, the statement said. At Sugu Tamptia in the Savelugu Nanton District, the GRCS in collaboration with the International Organisation for Migration (I.O.M) was building 25 houses for the people.

The West African Flood Program Co-ordinator of the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, Andreas Koumo Gopina, said although the programme was scheduled to have been completed by the end of February, progress of work had partially slowed down due to shortage of water. Earlier, members of the governing Board of the Society led by the Vice President, Mrs. Hilary Gbedemah toured communities that were affected by the floods to inspect the progress of work.