By Doreen Ampofo
The European Union has released 80,000 Euros for flood preparedness in Northern Ghana.
This is in response to warnings by the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) and the Meteorological Agency, of increased rainfall and flooding in Northern Ghana.
The funding will support the identification of early warning mechanisms, update of risks analysis and monitoring mechanisms, trigger anticipation actions to mitigate or prevent flood impacts and identify priority actions and response preparedness.
This was contained in a statement issued by the European Union today.
The northern parts of the country have been affected by recurring floods associated with both torrential rains and spillage of the Bagre dam in Burkina Faso.
The annual spilling of water from Bagre Dam in Burkina Faso makes an overflowing of all the river systems in Ghana, impacting first the regions of the North and areas around the rivers, beaches, and dams in the Northern region, Upper East, Savannah, Northeast, and Upper West.
Bagre Dam is opened annually when it reaches 235 M which is the maximum level. Already out of the seven reported high-risk regions, four have recorded incidents of flooding leading to loss of lives, property, and livelihoods.
The Volta River Authority has also issued a flood alert over the spillage of the Dam, asking residents and stakeholders to take caution. NADMO and the Meteorological Agency have also forecasted above normal rainfall in the north, a situation which will compound flooding.
The funds from the EU will mitigate the impact of floods for potentially 50 thousand people during the peak of the season by reducing their shelter, WASH and health vulnerability.
It will enable the Ghanaian Red Cross to implement both anticipatory and early actions and prop up preparedness actions such as training of volunteers, prepositioning of response stocks that should enable quicker deployment of a response, early evacuation of people in identified sites, simulation exercises and awareness sessions for water-related diseases prior the floods season.
This funding is part of the EU’s overall contribution to the Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).
