By Emmanuel Nyatsikor, GNA
Adaklu Helekpe (V/R), May 23, GNA – Mr James Gunu, Volta Regional Minister Thursday declared the Adaklu Mountain a security zone.
“We cannot guarantee the safety of anybody going there, so the mountain has been declared a security zone,” he stated.
Mr Gunu made the declaration when he led a delegation to ascertain the extent of damage caused by the mudslide that occurred at Adaklu Helekpe, a community located at the foot of the Adaklu Mountain on Wednesday.
They were also there to commiserate with the affected people.
The other members of the delegation were Mr Governs Kwame Agbodza, the Minister for Roads and Highways and Member of Parliament for Adaklu; Mr Jerry Yao Ameko, the Adaklu District Chief Executive and officials from the National Disaster Management Organisation.
The mudslide which destroyed properties worth fortunes occurred during a torrential rainfall that lasted for over five hours.
Properties destroyed included vehicles, agricultural machinery, buildings and personal effects.
Mr Gunu asked officials of the NADMO to cordon off the area to prevent people from accessing the mountain.
He advised the people to stay off the mountain for now, adding, “I will ask the Geological Survey Department and NADMO officials to conduct feasibility studies to ascertain the cause of the mudslide.”
Mr Agbodza stated that though natural disasters happened, destroying the vegetative cover of the mountain could also result in such occurrences.
The mudslide created a deep gorge from the top to the foot of the mountain in which water was gushing through.
Reverend Jacob Reddekopp, a white missionary who was most affected by the mudslide, told the Ghana News Agency that he was grateful to God that no life was lost.
A woman and her three-year-old son were injured during the incident and were admitted at the Ho Teaching Hospital.
GNA
Edited by Maxwell Awumah/Benjamin Mensah