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General News of Monday, 17 September 2007

Source: Panapress

Food shortage looms in flooded areas

... 400,00 Affected, 20 Dead, Many Homeless
... Navy sends boats to the north
... French govt sending planes
... Aussies Call For Aid to Ghana
... Spanish Govt donates
... North of Ghana declared disaster zone

The Upper East Region, which is one of the worst affected areas of floods that have wrecked havoc in Northen Ghana, is set to lose some 70% of its crops, giving rise to fears that it could be stared in the face by serious food shortages.

The Regional Minister, Alhassan Samari, said the situation was rather serious and needed attention.

The area, which has only one raining season, is their planting season and this has been disrupted.

Northern Ghana, which comprises three regions -- Northern, Upper East and Upper West -- has been hardest hit by floods following heavy rains. Incidentally, the three regions are the poorest in the country.

The rains came very late and were unexpectedly heavy. Between eight and 18 people are said to have died and more than 250,000 people displaced.

Bridges and roads have been washed away and communities have been cut from the rest of the country. Farmlands and stored harvest have been destroyed as large swathes of land inundated by water. Houses, mainly constructed with mud, have been broken and the victims are being housed in schools and community centres.

The rains have subsided but the havoc is yet to be contained.

The government has declared the area a disaster zone and President John Agyekum Kufuor, who is on an official trip to Canada, has set up inter-ministerial committee to look at the problems and help in reconstruction.