French money to improve drainage system

The French government has promised some US $11 million to rebuild bridges and drains in parts of the Ghanaian capital, Accra, as a flood control measure, the Ghana News Agency reported on Monday.

The agency reported that the French ambassador announced this in a meeting with regional minister for Greater Accra, Ibrahim Quaye. Poor drainage was one of the primary reasons for the recent flooding in the area, a humanitarian source in Accra told IRIN on Tuesday. Quaye said that if the drainage problem was tackled successfully, floods in the metropolis would be minimised. France, he said, had built five secondary drains at Mokuse which had prevented flooding in the area this year.

Based on the assessments made immediately after the floods, UN agencies provided supplies worth some 200,000,000 cedis (US $28,000. These included safe water, drugs, clothing and other relief items, the UN Information Centre in Accra reported on 4 July. Furthermore, UNICEF is supporting the Ministry of Education to assess the impact of the floods on school infrastructure, teaching and learning materials.

At least five people died and some 139,000 others have been affected by flooding and waterlogged conditions caused by recent downpours in Ghanaian coastal towns, including Accra, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.