MCE FOR SUNYANI MUNICIPAL ASSEMBLY PRESENTS RELIEF ITEMS TO FLOOD VICTIMS AT DAADUM

The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Sunyani Municipal Assembly Hon. Oppong Ababio with the help of the Municipal NADMO Office of the Assembly on Wednesday the 11^th of August presented some relief items to some flood victims at Daadum a village in the Sunyani municipality. The village housing about 45 people was completely washed down by floods some

two weeks back rendering its inhabitants homeless. On hearing the news the MCE led a delegation of the Assembly to visit them. When we got there we found to our surprise that there was no river or even a stream around the area which could perhaps overflowed its banks and thus cause such a flooding of the area. The inhabitants of the village told us that they have been living at the village for decades and have never experienced any flood in their lives before. According to them it therefore came as a shock to them when their whole village got flooded. The whole village, cocoa farms and the road leading to the village had been overtaken by water. The Municipal Co-Coordinator of the National Disaster Management Organisation Mr. Kwasi Lampo explained that the area is clayed and therefore the continuous weeks of rainfall and the inability of the water to sink into the ground because of its clayed nature made it possible for a lot of water to gather at the same area and thus causing flooding. He appealed to the people to report issues of disasters to his office on time for redress. During the visit the MCE found to his dismay that these people who been rendered homeless including children were sleeping on the bare floor of the new place they had relocated to near the village.

They had lost all their belongings and had nothing to eat form or sleep on. Touch by their plight the MCE and the NADMO office organised some items for them hence the presentation by the MCE. The items included 5 packets of roofing sheets, 2 bales of second hand clothes, one hundred rubber plates, cups and 5 students mattress.

Speaking at the function the MCE for the Assembly Mr. Gyamfi Ameyaw, the Assembly had come to the aid of the victims because as he puts it government is there to serve its people and if they had not come to the aid of the people in such time of need then there will not be the need for the Assembly to be in place. He added “we in the city depend on you for our survival because you produce food to feed us and that is why your welfare should be our major concern”. He appealed to them to take the education of their children seriously adding, “That is the only legacy you can leave for them”.

The MCE Hon. Oppong Ababio on his part said they touched by the plight of the people, especially the fact that they have been sleeping on the bare floor and wondered what happens to them when it is raining hence the decision by the Assembly and NADMO to come to their aid. He hoped their widow`s might will go a long way to help aguage their present difficulties.

He reiterated the need for them to take their children`s education seriously saying “The only forest in the world today that you can leave for your child is education”. He continued “because we want these children to be educated that the Assembly has spent money to put up that beautiful classroom block for this village so if you don`t send them to school that money has been wasted for nothing.

The Unit Committee Chairman of the area Mr. Richard Tetteh on behalf of the people thanked the MCE and his delegation for the gesture. He promised that they will send their children to the school so that the effort by the assembly led by the MCE will not be in vain. He appealed to the MCE to help them get a teachers bungalow for the only teacher in the area who has been coming from Sunyani. He also on behalf of the people complained about the activities of timber firms which have been operation in the area. The timber firms according to him do not respond to their social responsibilities adding , ‘the only borehole we have here has spoiled for months now and people especially women walk a long distance for water and these firms have not bothered to repair it for us yet their trucks have destroyed our roads farms”.

The MCE called for representatives of these firms who were in the village and cautioned them to repair the road and the pipe or else he will take action against them.

The MCE had earlier in the week visited Adidaase also a village in the Municipality where the river Amoma had overflowed its banks and thus cut some 20 communities away from the main road to Sunyani.