Four Hours Rainfall Submerges Parts Of Koforidua

Residents of flood-prone areas in the New Juaben Municipality have started counting their losses after four hours of rains last Thursday. A number of streams and rivers that flow through the affected communities reportedly burst their banks, submerging houses, roads and shops. In some instance, personnel of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) were said to have used ropes to rescue residents, who were trapped by the floods. Some of them were said to have climbed to safety on walls. There was no casualty. Affected structures Mechanical shops, chop bars, a church, block factories, filling stations and washing bays in the area, were also inundated by the floods. The floods were said to have been aggravated by water from the Okome stream and other streams that flowed from the Nkurakan stretch of the Akuapem Ridge as they burst their banks and ran through the residential areas, submerging mechanical shops and pulling down the wall of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority office building. Affected areas included Abrewa-Nkwanta along the Akwadum-Koforidua highway, Nsukwao, Asokore, Oyoko and Effiduase. The Eastern Regional Minister, Ms Helen A. Ntoso, the Member of Parliament of New Juaben North, Nana Adjei Boateng, and officials of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) visited the affected communities to empathise with the residents and also assess the extent of damage. Abrewa-Nkwanta, the new roundabout and roads along Koforidua-Akwadum, were completely submerged and halted the movement of vehicles on the roads. When the Daily Graphic visited Abrewa-Nkwanta, many vehicles were being pulled out of the various mechanic shops to safety as the garages remained waterlogged. The Manager of the Adom Washing Bay, Mr Charles Baafi, who spoke on behalf of the affected artisans, appealed to the government to help dredge the various water bodies in the area to allow for the easy flow of water. Nana Adjei Boateng also called on the New Juaben Municipal Assembly to work with the Department of Urban Roads and the Department of Feeder Roads to address the narrow nature of culverts and bridges to curb future flooding.