Flood: C'ttee discuss rebuilding infrastructure

Accra, Sept. 20, GNA - The Cabinet Inter-Ministerial Disaster Relief Committee has met several organizations to discuss measures to rebuild infrastructure lost during the devastating floods in the north of the country that has destroyed roads, bridges, houses, farms and harvests and put large swathes of land under water.

A statement signed by Mrs Oboshie Sai-Cofie, Minister of Information and National Orientation in Accra on Wednesday said the meeting also discussed how to prevent such disasters in future. It said the meeting was attended by representatives of some professional organizations, including the Ghana Institute of Surveyors, Ghana Institute of Architects, Ghana Institute of Planners and Ghana Institute of Engineers.

Others were Ghana Telecom, Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) and Association of Road Contractors.

"At the meeting some measures to be taken were considered to enable government to rebuild the infrastructure lost during the floods, prevent such disasters in future and progress with plans for the reconstruction of the affected areas," the statement said. President John Agyekum Kufuor last week established the Committee to deal with the flood disasters and the team is currently in the disaster zones conducting a general assessment of the situation on the ground.

At least 15 people have been killed and more than 250,000 people displaced by the floods.

The statement said the team had visited most of the affected areas and had also gone to Daboya on Wednesday to interact with the people who had been cut off due to the floods.

It said they made a presentation of food items including bread, kenkey, canned fish, and 500 bags of maize, 10 bags of salt, 500 bags of rice and 45 gallons of cooking oil to the people of Daboya. NADMO had also dispatched three vehicles to the Upper East Region on Wednesday with a third consignment of relief items from government. The items included plastic buckets, plates, cups, and mattresses, bags of rice and roofing sheets.

Earlier donations received from some private individuals and organizations included cement, rice, clothing, and canned food items. The statement said personnel from the Army and the Navy were still assisting with ferrying people and also distributing blankets, tents, water purification systems, and food items such as maize, rice and millet.

The Ministry of the Interior had also taken delivery of a consignment of relief items donated by the Spanish Embassy for distribution to the affected areas.

Another consignment of non-food items donated by the Japanese Embassy was expected to arrive in Accra shortly.

It includes five generator sets, 400 blankets, 384 portable jerry cans, 20 tents, five water tanks with a capacity of 3,500 litres each. The Ministry was also expecting a package from the Salvation Army including 100 shelter boxes each containing tents, sheets, cooking pots, blankets, ground sheets, water purification packs and plastic waste sacks.

In another development, the Chinese Ambassador has donated $30,000 towards relief activities and GHACEM Limited has also donated 2,000 bags of cement for distribution to the affected communities.