Veep outlines plans against future floods

Vice President John Dramani Mahama on Thursday announced plans to mitigate the plight of flood victims in some parts of the country.

He said government in partnership with the United Nations Agencies had mobilised quantities of food and other relief items amounting to $5 million to be distributed to the victims.

The Vice President announced the package when he met with Ismail Omer, a Representative of World Food Programme, Daniel Graymore, Country Director of the United Kingdom Department for International Development, Luis Fernando Serra, Brazil Ambassador and Stig Barlyng, Danish Ambassador to at the Osu Castle.

The officials called on the Vice President to announce their support to the government to take care of the flood victims in the Central Gonja, West Gonja and West Mamprusi districts in the Northern Region, Dambai in the Krachi District of the Volta Region and some parts of the Upper East, Upper West and Brong Ahafo regions.

Vice President Mahama also announced that the World Bank had pledged $4million with a counterpart amount of GH¢5 million from government to establish long term plans to avoid the recurrence of floods in the affected areas.

He said government through the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority would maximise the use of abundant water resources from the white and Black Volta lakes for agriculture, fishing and the generation of electricity.

Vice President Mahama said a projection of $60 million had been earmarked by government and its development partners to construct and irrigate more dams to boost food and cash crop production in the country.

He said government had also convened technical experts from Water Resources Commission, Volta River Authority, Irrigation Development Authority, Town and Country Planning and other experts from the universities to embark on a post-flood rehabilitation initiative.

Mr Omer said his outfit would donate 900 bags of maize, 300 bags of rice and 44 cartons of oil to the flood victims.

Mr Serra said Brazil would provide $200,000 towards the rehabilitation of the victims apart from a financial commitment towards the construction of major roads in the country.

Source: GNA