President Mahama donates relief items to Hohoe flood victims after River Dayi overflow

President John Dramani Mahama has donated relief items to residents of Hohoe in the Volta Region affected by flooding following the overflow of the River Dayi.

The President, who visited the affected communities to sympathise with victims, attributed the flooding to extreme weather conditions associated with climate change.

According to President Mahama, continuous rainfall in neighbouring Togo resulted in large volumes of water flowing into the River Dayi, causing flooding in low-lying communities in Hohoe, particularly areas around Zongo and other riverside settlements.

“This is something that happens every year, but now at times the rain falls excessively, and sometimes too there’s a drought. It doesn’t fall at all, so now you can’t predict how the weather will behave,” he said.

President Mahama said the government had responded to the disaster by providing relief supplies through the Presidency, while other government institutions and officials had also made contributions.

He noted that the Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection had already visited the affected area, while the Minister for Roads and Highways and the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) had also provided relief items.

“The items are from the Presidency. We brought them to present to the people,” President Mahama said.

He also announced that the owner of Dzeta Cement, Mr. Ibrahim Mahama had pledged 5,000 bags of cement to support residents whose homes were destroyed by the floods.

President Mahama directed the Hohoe Municipal Chief Executive, the Member of Parliament and the Volta Regional Minister to ensure that the relief items were distributed fairly to people directly affected by the disaster.

“We leave it in the hands of the MP and the MCE and the regional minister to distribute these items fairly, so that those who are affected are the ones who will receive it,” he said.

The President also conveyed sympathies from his wife, Lordina Mahama, who, according to him, was particularly concerned about the impact of the flooding on the local hospital.

President Mahama said he had been assured that the hospital was not affected by the floods.

Relief items

Volta Regional Minister James Gunu said the relief package included food, bedding, household supplies, sanitary products and building materials.

The items presented included 2,500 bags of 25kg rice, 700 bags of sugar, 500 bags of maize, 700 cartons of cooking oil, 50 cartons of biscuits and assorted food items.

The package also included 243 mattresses, 1,000 blankets, 200 curtains, 500 sleeping mats, 500 T-shirts, 500 plastic basins, 300 plastic buckets and 100 boxes of tissue paper.

Other relief items were 400 boxes of sanitary pads, 50 boxes of baby diapers, 300 boxes of liquid soap, 40 pairs of Wellington boots, 40 malaria rapid test kits and 100 packets of roofing sheets, among others.

The Regional Minister later clarified that the roofing sheets being provided amounted to 1,000 packets.

In addition, Members of Parliament in the area(Hohoe) , Mr Thomas Worlanyo Tsekpo, donated GH¢20,000 to support relief efforts, with the money to be administered by the MCE and the committee overseeing the distribution.

He expressed appreciation to President Mahama for his response to the disaster and said the people of the Volta Region remained grateful for the government’s support.