By Murtala Issah.
A three-hour downpour has left some parts of Tamale in the Northern region flooded. The development has also exposed the poor engineering drainage system in the Metropolis.
Homes, roads and fuel filling stations have been inundated with flood waters. The situation in the Regional Capital reflects the increasing challenges faced by residents in rural communities of the region before the opening of the Bagre dam, which is expected to worsen the situation in the coming days.
Correspondent Murtala Issah reports that the situation is pathetic and very worrisome.
After a visit to the community, he reports that people are seen scooping water out of their homes, bedrooms and shops as a result of the floods. He said the entire Metropolis is flooded, as most of the drains could not contain the force of the water.
Residents, he said, are pointing accusing fingers at whoever they believe is responsible for the situation. Frustration is clearly written on the faces of the people as they seem to be helpless at a scenario that plays out almost every year. Houses have been constructed along waterways and most people believe that could be contributing to the precarious situation.
Some of the residents GBC News spoke to had this to say;
”almost every household is flooded, we cannot talk much, we need government to come to our aid, we need bigger gutters, it is serious, at the moment, we are confused, not only me the entire Metropolis, they need more bridges, not only one, we need assistance , so that the water can go. It is an unfortunate situation, we need help,” the residents lamented.
But, how are the authorities handling the situation? is a question that almost always has a familiar answer, because everyone seems to know about the problem, local to the Central government. One would hear during a situation like this a lot of speeches, there would be speeches after the floods, but everyone would go back to sleep after the water dried up.
The spillage of the Bagre Dam is even a greater concern as the residents literally are sitting on tenterhooks, anxious about what arrangements are in place to deal with the eventual spillage, and the actual arrangements to deal with the aftermath of the situation.
