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UN launches appeal for flood victims
Accra, Oct. 4, Ghanadot/GNA - The United Nations (UN) and
its partner organizations on Thursday launched a "Flash
Appeal" for Ghana, seeking 10 million dollars to fund relief
efforts for the next six months for the flood ravaged areas
of northern Ghana.
The UN and its partner organizations are appealing to the
international community and donor organizations to assist
the Government of Ghana to adequately provide relief items
to victims of the floods in the Upper West, Upper East and
Northern regions.
Floods hit tens of thousands of
people in northern Ghana and entire communities along the
Black and White Volta rivers after heavy and persistent
rainfall late August and early September.
Mr. Daouda Toure, United Nations Resident Coordinator for
Ghana, who launched the appeal on behalf of Sir John Holmes,
UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, said Ghana had been one of
the worst affected countries, where excessive rainfall
coupled with the spillage of excess water from the Bagre
Reservoir in Burkina Faso resulted in extensive floods in
the Northern, Upper East and Upper West regions.
He said the floods had caused severe damage to houses,
bridges, livestock, farmlands, schools, health facilities,
irrigation systems, food storage and processing facilities,
water supply systems as well as displaced vulnerable
persons.
He said preliminary assessment by the Ministry of
Agriculture revealed an estimated loss of 144,000 metric
tones of crops including maize, sorghum, millet, groundnut,
yam, cassava and rice.
In addition, prices of all staples had doubled since the
flooding, and not all food commodities were readily
available at markets due to flooded roads and submerged
bridges, he noted.
Mr. Toure said the immediate task of the UN team was to
ensure that funds from the appeal would be utilised so that
people cut off by floodwaters have access to health services
through outreach and mobile clinics.
He said other partner organizations with logistic expertise
would enable mobile teams to deliver essential drugs and
medical supplies to inaccessible areas by the use of
helicopters or boats.
Mr. Toure said the teams would also be able to provide
insecticide-treated bed-nets to prevent an increase in
malaria as the flood waters receded, as well as chlorine
tablets to make household water safe for drinking.
He also said the humanitarian community would distribute
tents to some 18,000 people who were deemed the most
vulnerable.
Mr. Toure said they lost their homes to the floods and would
be expected to use the tents as temporary shelter while they
rebuilt their mud houses on higher grounds.
Mr. Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu, Minister of Finance and Economic
Planning, commended the various relief agencies for their
support to the victims in the affected areas.
He said government had been prompt in ensuring that
vulnerable people in the affected areas did not suffer
unduly.
The Minister said the country had been able to mobilize
additional resources from corporate and non-governmental
organizations to support relief effort in the affected
areas.
Nana Obiri Boahen, Minister of State at the Ministry of the
Interior, urged donor organizations to channel all their
relief items through the Inter-Ministerial Task Force set up
by government to avoid duplication of function in the
distribution of the items.
GNA
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