The Member of Parliament for the Nadwoli-Kaleo constituency, Anthony Mwinkaara Sumah, says the relief items the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) brought for victims of last Friday’s floods in the Constituency is inadequate.
According to NADMO statistics, over 1,600 individuals were directly affected by the floods, with many farmlands and houses washed away.
Of the number, the Nadwoli-Kaleo MP said his area which is the worst affected has been given few little relief items.
“My constituency was unfortunately affected. We are talking about 820 persons who have been displaced. As we speak now, NADMO has been able to come up with only 50 bags of rice,120 bottles of oil, 70 blankets, 50 mosquito nets, 15 plastic chairs, 300 plastic cups and 280 plates and 25 mattresses. That is very inadequate, considering the magnitude of the problem that we have. In fact, these are supposed to be distributed to the 820 persons who have been affected. For now, our major issue is shelter, bed, and food items for those who have been affected.”
Meanwhile, NADMO has welcomed any further assistance from the Office of the Member of Parliament to cushion the situation.
Though the Regional Coordinator, Ahmed Mustapha, disagrees with the MP’s assertions on the situation, he admits that all hands must be on board for a smooth operation.
“We have started something substantial as we wait for other donors. When cases like this happen, the government for that matter NADMO can not do it all. We are reaching out to other individuals and NGOs to come and augment the gaps that NADMO cannot do. So probably, if you have anything that will help us, it is welcomed.”
Data from NADMO indicates some 1,605 people in the Nadowli-Kaleo District, Jirapa District, and the Lawra municipality in the Upper West Region were affected by recent floods in the region.
According to NADMO, the victims lost a total of 722 farmlands.
336 persons were also displaced, according to NADMO.
The report indicates that some 155 houses were destroyed during the floods.