Floods engulf Bawku farmlands
Hundreds of farmers in the Bawku area are going through sad and difficult moments as floods consume thousands of hectares of farmlands.
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Residents, mostly farmers in the Bawku Municipality, Bawku West, Binduri District and their environs, were hit by heavy rains that destroyed farmlands, properties, homes, among others, running into thousands of cedis.
The flood submerged most farms following the downpour which lasted for about seven hours each day for two days, making the White Volta, where most farms are located, overflow its banks.
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Thousands of hectares of farmlands have been submerged and destroyed by the flood, affecting crops such as sorghum, watermelon, maize, early millet, beans, groundnuts, among others.
Most of the cereals were almost at maturity and were expected to be harvested in a few weeks.
A farmer and an Assembly Member of the Timonde Electoral Area, Mr Julius Agolisi, said they were first hit this year by the late start of rains and now that their crops were at their production stage, the floods had come to destroy them.
Mr Agolisi predicted bad harvest should the rains continue that way, noting that “bad harvest means food insecurity and hunger”.
The residents, who are mostly farmers, called on the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), non-governmental organisations (NGO) and philanthropic individuals and organisations to come to their aid.
The acting Coordinator for NADMO in the Bawku West District, Mr Daniel Anania Atampuba, and a team visited the affected areas at the weekend to assess the extent of damage and called on the residents and farmers along the White Volta to move to high grounds for safety.
He urged them to remain calm while his outfit made efforts to communicate with its headquarters in Accra for the necessary action to be taken.
The affected areas include
— GNA