Floods cut off Atwima Abekumadi
Flooding resulting from heavy rains all night on Tuesday cut off Atwima Abekumadi in the Atwima Nwabiagya District from the rest of the Ashanti Region.
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The main road leading from the community to Abuakwa, a distance of about 200 metres, was heavily flooded with vehicles unable to cross.
Two rivers – Juahen and Ayankoma – overflowed their banks, and, coupled with the choked gutters that prevented the free flow of the waters, the situation became precarious when the rain fell in torrents.
Schoolchildren could not attend school while workers were stopped from going to their workplaces.
When the Daily Graphic visited the area, about 35 houses had been submerged by the flood waters with some residents trapped in their houses. The affected buildings were located in water courses.
Many people lost their personal belongings,including electrical appliances, clothing, cooking utensils, and cash.
The Member of Parliament for Atwima Nwabiagya South, Mr Anthony Osei Boakye, visited the community to assess the situation.
He was shocked at the spectacle that confronted him and expressed the hope that the government and the assembly would go to the aid of the victims and also improve the drainage system.
The District Chief Executive, Nana Asare Bediako, cut short a visit outside the district to return home to see how to address the problem.
He visited Apekumadi with the district engineer and after going round he described the flooding as “terrible”.
Nana Bediako, who had earlier paid a courtesy call on the chief of the town, Nana Sarfo Kantanka II, in his palace, where the chief told him of the developments, identified uncontrolled development in water courses and choked drains as the source of the flooding.
He told the Daily Graphic that the assembly would mobilise resources to clear choked drains and gutters of silt.
Kumasi and surrounding communities have experienced daily rains since Saturday evening, leading to flooding in some communities.
At Ahwiaa, a two-and-half-year-old boy was killed when he fell into a fast flowing drain on Monday morning.
By Kwame Asare Boadu/Daily Graphic/Ghana
