Govt cannot be indifferent to the suffering of flood victims

Sandama (U/E) Sept. 12, GNA - President John Agyekum Kufuor, on the second day of his visit to the Upper East Region, has given the assurance that the Government would mobilise all the needed resources to restore roads, bridges and other infrastructure destroyed by recent floods in the area.

A team of engineers, he said, would soon be dispatched to the Region to carry out the task.

"Government cannot sit unconcerned for the people to suffer untold hardships", he said, when he met with displaced families, sheltering in congested classrooms at Sandema and Wiaga in the Builsa District. President Kufuor was in the Upper East to show support for the flood victims and to assess the extent of the devastation. He visited destroyed homes, inspected collapsed bridges and interacted with the displaced to convey to them his personal sympathy and to assure them of Government's assistance.

President Kufuor said to help to avert possible disease outbreak, a consignment of pharmaceuticals would be sent to the affected communities.

He counselled the people to take a second look at the architecture of their buildings and to adopt durable techniques that could help their houses to withstand extreme weather conditions. He had earlier paid a courtesy call on the regent of the Builsa Traditional Area, Sias-Naab Atampure Azantilow, where he called on the feuding factions of the royal family, to bury their differences and work towards sustaining the peace in the area.

President Kufuor had earlier on arrival in the Region on Tuesday announced a 5-Million-GH-Cedi support for the three Northern Regions and parts of the Western Region hit by the recent floods. Eighth deaths were recorded in the Upper East following the disaster, which displaced more than 16,000 people and destroyed more than 4,000 structures.

The floods also washed away bridges, stretches of roads; submerged water supply systems and caused extensive damage to food crop farms in the area. 12 Sept. 07