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Districts in the flood prone zones in the Northern, Upper West and Upper East Regions have received flood risk maps to help curb flood related disasters in the areas.

The World Bank funded a study which was conducted by the Water Resources Commission (WRC) to develop the maps for the beneficiary Districts.

Apart from developing the maps, the study also documented the genesis of floods and made proposals to reduce the impact of flood.

Presenting the Disaster Risk Maps to the District Chief Executives and the technocrats at a dissemination workshop held in Bolgatanga, Mr Albert Abongo, the Upper East Regional Minister, commended the World Bank and the WRC maps.

He said the dissemination of the findings and the maps would help the Northern Regions to mitigate the problem of perennial floods which has often led to the destruction of properties and the loss of human life.

He said issues of security were very paramount to government adding that this has prompted government to seek support from the World Bank for the Commission to undertake the study.

Mr Abongo, who is also a legislator, gave the assurance that the National Disaster Management Bill which is before Parliament would be passed into law to help create a regulatory environment for disaster prevention and management.

“In line with COP 21 agreement on climate change which Ghana has assented to, Municipal and District Assemblies are also mainstreaming climate activities in their medium term plans. The availability of disaster information and maps would greatly complement these efforts in order to ensure comprehensive management of disasters at the sub national level”, he said

The Regional Minister called on the beneficiaries not to put the maps and the finding in their shelves but to use them wisely. 

Mr Clement Bugase, the Chief Executive Officer of Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA), entreated the District Assemblies to use the research findings and the maps for the proper planning of their districts to help curtail disasters.   

Mr Ben Ampomah, the Executive Secretary of the WRC, said one of the areas the research identified was weakness of disaster institutions in the management of disaster adding that the project would help cater for this weakness.  

Dr Bob Affa, Head of Water Surface Research of the WRC, who presented the findings, said in the last 20 years, Ghana has recorded seven flood related disasters and blamed the problem mainly to human induced factors coupled with climate change.   

In all, eleven Districts received the maps and they include the Talensi, Nabdam , Bawku West, Kassena-Nankana Municipal all  in the Upper East Region, Sesila East in Upper West Region.

The rest are Central Gonja, Kumbungu, Savelugu-Nantong, West Mamprusi, Mamprugu Maudori, also all in the Northern Region.