TIME TO LEND A HAND (NOV 1, 2010)

Torrential rains, coupled with the spillage of the Bagre Dam in Burkina Faso, have caused floods, leaving thousands of people displaced, bridges damaged as well as farms and houses destroyed.
According to relief agencies, as many as 700,000 people have so far been displaced and more than 35 lives lost in the Greater Accra, Central, Volta and Northern regions.
Meanwhile it appears our woes are yet to be over.
The consistent rise in the water level of the Akosombo Dam has compelled the Volta River Authority (VRA), for the first time in 20 years, to spill the excess water from today , to save the dam from any danger and possible damage.
Unless the managers of the dam take precautionary measures and are meticulous in their approach, the spillage can adversely affect communities along the Volta Lake.
After leading an official delegation to ascertain the extent of disaster caused by floods in the Central Gonja area in the Northern Region at the weekend, the Minister of the Interior, Mr Martin Amidu, has described the flood situation in the country as a national disaster which calls for international support.
The floods, which have occurred in different parts of the country, have stretched us beyond our response mechanism and contingency plans, hence the need for our development partners to assist us to salvage the situation.
As a nation, we have become vulnerable to flood disasters as a result of economic, socio-cultural, educational, attitudinal, physical, political and organisational factors. In some instances people do not have the material and financial resources to develop effective mechanisms. In other instances they are either uninformed, or deeply engrossed in their cultural beliefs that even against all advice they choose to stay in flood-prone areas instead of moving away. We cannot also discount the weak national and local structures to effectively manage disaster situations.
The Daily Graphic believes that we cannot put the blame on any individual or institution. There is the need for all of us to rally together and pool our resources to deal with the current situation and more especially the aftermath of the floods.
We should be able to handle diseases which might occur and rebuild the devastated infrastructure, as well as deal with post-flood traumas.
The government has decided to provide logistics such as relief items in the meantime and find lasting solutions to the perennial floods in the long term.
Since the floods are partly caused by the spillage of the Bagre Dam, the government should liaise with its counterpart in Burkina Faso to establish a joint Volta Basin Management Agency.
That agency should be mandated to adopt action plans by the appropriate governmental agencies within each country to control the perennial floods in the northern parts of Ghana due mainly to excess water spilled from the Bagre Dam, as well as free flow of water from rivers that have their sources in Burkina Faso.
Additionally we want to suggest that we develop a clear policy to mitigate floods and manage water flow, as well as prepare a national framework for the integrated development and utilisation of the Volta and Oti Water Basins in Ghana.
While we plan and programme for long term solutions, the Daily Graphic appeals to the international community and the country's development partners to assist us to deal with our current predicament. This is yet another opportunity for them to lend a hand.