The Volta Regional Director of the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO), Ivy Amewuga, has identified climate change, engineering problems, buildings on waterways, and indiscriminate dumping of filth in drains as the causes of the flooding in Ho on Saturday.
“The climate change had an effect even though it has been raining all this while, we have never experienced such a volume of rainwater in Ho. Some aspects are also engineering problems and building on waterways and indiscriminate throwing of refuse into the drainage systems,” she said during an interview.
She added that these conclusions were reached after conducting checks in collaboration with other stakeholders following the heavy rainfall. The floods exposed areas that were not adhering to the established rules for Ho, known as the “oxygen city mantra.”
Amewuga mentioned that ongoing efforts to demolish structures on waterways and seeking expert advice from the hydrology department, along with preparations based on reports from the meteorological agency, are expected to mitigate future flooding.
She took the opportunity to appeal to individuals and organizations to provide relief items to assist the affected victims.
However, the Volta regional minister, Dr Archibald Letsa has ascribed the cause of the flooding incident that occurred in Ho last Saturday and destroyed several properties to the volume of water from the downpour that overflew the city’s drainage systems.
“The drains are available and have been completed but you know there is a capacity for every drain. If the volume of water is much more than the drain can accommodate, then there will be an overflow. So I think that it is the sheer volume of water that caused this havoc,” he stated.
