Floods pollute water bodies in Northern Ghana

This year’s floods caused by torrential rains and spillage of the Bagre Dam in neighbouring Burkina has polluted hundreds of boreholes and other domestic water sources in the three regions of the north.

The polluted water sources include 350 boreholes constructed by World Vision International in the Northern and Upper East Regions.

The flood victims are vulnerable to communicable diseases such as cholera and diarrhoea.

Reports confirmed 35 deaths while 52,000 people were displaced across the three regions of the north.

The floods also destroyed dams, farmlands, households, culverts and feeder roads linking farming communities to major towns.

The most affected districts are Savelugu, Nanton, Karaga, Gushiegu and Mamprugu/Moogduri in the Northern Region, Bawku West, Builsa South, Bongo and Pusiga in the Upper East Region as well as Nandom, Lawra, Sisala West and Sisala East in the Upper West Region.

In the Northern Region, residents of the Nanton Kurugu community in the Nanton district are compelled to drink from the same contaminated source with animals.

According to Mohammed Chimsi who doubles as the assemblyman and NADMO Zonal Coordinator for the Kukobila community in the Savelugu municipality, 69 households were destroyed.

Some farmers of the Kukobila community complained about post-harvest losses and called for support from government and philanthropists.

According to them, they collected bank loans and coupons for the subsidized fertility to improve their yields.

As a humanitarian service organization operating in the three regions of the north, World Vision International Ghana is alarmed by the devastation caused by the floods.

After conducting its needs assessment in collaboration with NADMO, the organization took steps to support the victims.

It has so far distributed about 332,000 life-saving items including water purifiers, water storage containers, buckets for water purification, sieving mesh, laundry and bathing soap to flood victims in some selected communities in the Northern Region.

Contaminated water in the boreholes have been collected for laboratory test to ascertain its quality.

In the meantime, the victims are being trained to purify the polluted water for domestic use.

According to the World Vision International Ghana’s Head of Human Emergency Affairs and Security, Samuel Gmalu, the intervention is very crucial for the overall wellbeing of the flood victims in the Northern Region.

“It is in line with this that World Vision International Ghana responded to the call of government to support the flood victims in the northern part of Ghana who in some cases had their houses collapsed, farms submerged in flood water, animals dead and some lives lost in some families.”

He unveiled plans to repair and maintain the polluted 350 boreholes to sustain the organization’s Water and Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) programme.

“Water bodies in the area have been polluted. Most wells and boreholes have been submerged in flood water. The need for clean and safe drinking water, therefore, should be a priority intervention.”

He reaffirmed the organization’s determination to improve the wellbeing of the destitute in deprived communities.

The Nanton District Assembly Coordinating Director, Zakariah Wumbei commended World Vision International Ghana for its rapid response.

As a new district, he said the assembly alone could not handle the situation at hand.

The NADMO Coordinator in charge of Savelugu and Nanton districts, Alhassan M. Sulemana, said the organization was overwhelmed by the floods and appealed to the donor community for assistance.

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By: Abdul Karim Naatogmah/citinewsroom.com/Ghana

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