Northern MPs want areas declared disaster zone
MPs support call to declare the North disaster area
Northern MPs want areas declared disaster zone
Accra (Greater Accra), 20th October 99
Members of Parliament from the three northern regions affected by floods have called on the government to declare the area a disaster zone to enable the necessary resources to be mobilised to assist the affected communities.
About 60 billion cedis is needed to resettle and rehabilitate the affected communities. This is made up of 18 billion cedis for relief food, 36 billion cedis for emergency road repairs and six billion cedis for drugs.
"This amount is so colossal that the government can only be permitted to spend it under a declaration of a national disaster".
Mr. M. A. Seidu, deputy majority leader in the House, made the statement on their behalf on Tuesday.
He said the government alone cannot bear it and appealed to NGOs, international organisations, churches and donor agencies to come to the aid of the people with food aid, building materials and drugs.
He said in addition, poverty alleviation and re-afforestation programmes should be instituted and intensified in the three regions.
"...Construction of small scale irrigation dams as a means of combating the perennial food shortages in the area should receive the attention of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture..."
Mr. Seidu said the floods that displaced about 150,000 persons have destroyed 70 thousand acres of farmlands.
"The effect of this on food production in these areas which had earlier experienced drought and army worm invasion in the year is surely negative. The people are faced with severe food shortages."
He said many kilometres of highway and feeder roads have been washed away and several communities have been cut off, thus movement of goods and people have suffered a severe set back.
He said MPs in the area have resolved to undertake extensive educational campaign on sound environmental and farming practices.
He appealed to people to desist from building and farming in low-lying areas and close to riverbanks.
GRi
MPs support call to declare the North disaster area
Accra (Greater Accra), 20th October 99
Members of Parliament on Wednesday supported a call from MPs from the northern regions for the whole area to be declared a disaster zone for the necessary funds and resources to be mobilised to mitigate the effects of the floods.
About 60 billion cedis is needed to resettle and rehabilitate the affected people and communities.
While commending the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), for its swift response, they observed that what they provided was woefully inadequate and called on the government and NGOs to make more resources available to NADMO.
This followed an urgent statement to highlight the problems the floods have left in their trail by Mr. M. A. Seidu, the Deputy Majority Leader, on behalf of all MPs from the three northern regions.
"This amount is so colossal that government can only be permitted by Parliament to spend under a declaration of a National Disaster", Mr Seidu said.
Mr. J. H. Mensah, the Minority Leader, supported the call saying, ''we in the minority are ready to support any programme initiated to rehabilitate and resettle the affected people.
"It is important that we do every thing to restore the peoples earning capacity."
The House further called for a more holistic approach to solving the problems associated with disasters by strengthening institutions like Meteorological Department and NADMO.
They expressed the need for a proper water management policy for effective utilisation and management of water like the construction of dams to break the yearly cycle of ''floods followed by drought".
Members also called for an international agreement with the six countries that share the Volta Basin so that ''Ghana does not suffer every year as a result of actions taken by other countries".
They further called on the government to come out with a good rural housing policy and programme to save the thousands of "hanging buildings" in the rural areas.
The majority of MPs from the north, who caught the Speaker's eye, described the appalling conditions and severe food shortages faced by the people.
"The situation is very serious, in fact it has eroded all the gains I have made over the years", Mr. Moses Bukari Mabengba, NDC-Saboba said.
Alhaji Malik Alhassan Yacobu, NPP-Yendi said efforts should be made to ensure that the relief items get to the affected people and not diverted.
Mr. Simon Abingya, Deputy Minister of Mines and Energy, said the problem is a very serious one and Parliament and all Ghanaians should come to the aid of the affected people.
He said in November 1997, the water level in the Volta Dam was 249 ft and it is now 261 ft, a difference of 14 ft in two years.
Mr Norbert Awulley, NDC-Builsa South, said district assemblies should be made to set aside a percentage of their common fund for disasters noting that most of the district assemblies could not respond adequately because they lacked the funds and the resources.
GRi