President John Dramani Mahama has expressed solidarity with residents of Hohoe affected by recent flooding, saying the increasing unpredictability of extreme weather events underscores the growing impact of climate change.
President Mahama made the remarks during a visit to Hohoe to present relief items to communities affected by the floods.
He said he learnt about the disaster while returning from New York and immediately took note of the impact on residents, particularly communities located in low-lying areas.
“There is something we call climate change, and it is leading to what we call extreme weather phenomena,” President Mahama said.
According to him, changing weather patterns have made rainfall and drought increasingly difficult to predict.
“This is not something that happens every year, but now, at times, the rain falls excessively and sometimes there is drought and it does not fall at all. So now, you cannot predict how the weather will behave,” he stated.
President Mahama said he had been informed that continuous rainfall in neighbouring Togo caused significant volumes of water to flow down the River Dayi, resulting in flooding in low-lying parts of Hohoe, particularly the Zongo and other communities along the riverside.
He said his visit was primarily to sympathise with the traditional authorities and residents who had been affected by the disaster.
“We came here today to sympathise with Togbega, the chiefs and the people who have been affected, and we also brought a few items to donate,” he said.
The President acknowledged the interventions by members of his administration and the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), noting that the Minister of Gender, the Minister of Roads and Highways and NADMO had already provided support to the affected communities.
He said the latest relief items were from the Presidency and would be handed over for distribution to affected residents.
President Mahama also announced that the owner of Dzata Cement, whom he described as his younger brother, had pledged 5,000 bags of cement to support residents whose homes were destroyed by the floods.
“So, accept our sympathies. We will leave it in the hands of the MP, the MCE and the Regional Minister to distribute these items fairly, so that those who are affected are the ones who will receive them,” he said.
The President further conveyed the sympathies of his wife, Lordina Mahama, who, he said, became particularly concerned about the impact of the flooding on a hospital associated with the community.
“When she heard that the community had flooded and they told her that Hohoe Zongo had flooded, the first thing she asked was, ‘Has it affected my hospital?’” President Mahama recounted.
He said the Member of Parliament had assured him that the hospital was not affected by the flooding.
“So, I can go back and tell her that it did not affect the hospital,” he added.
Story: Patrick Asford Boadu
