By Evans Worlanyo Ameamu, GNA
Keta (VR), Oct. 27, GNA-The International Organisation for Migration (IOM), in collaboration with the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), has donated relief items worth thousands of Ghana cedis to support victims of flooding in the Keta Municipality and Anloga District of the Volta Region.
The items, which include mattresses, pillows, mosquito nets, soaps, detergents, bowls, wheelchairs, crutches, cooking utensils, toothbrushes, toothpaste and water purification tablets, among others were intended to alleviate the suffering of affected households and help them recover from the disaster.
A total of 201 individuals, comprising 119 from the Keta Municipality and 82 from the Anloga District, benefited from the intervention, which prioritised vulnerable people, including persons with disabilities (PWDs), female-headed households and families with many children.
Mr David Kwame Darko, Senior Project Assistant at IOM Ghana responsible for Emergency Preparedness and Emergency Response, disclosed this in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) during the presentation of the items at Keta.
He said Ghana experienced widespread flooding on June 29, which affected several districts and regions, and that, under the leadership of NADMO, the Keta and Anloga areas were selected for the provision of humanitarian assistance to affected communities.
“The intervention followed a registration exercise conducted to identify and assess the needs of the affected households which enable us to select about 200 households for support in the targeted areas,” he said.
He said the assistance comprised non-food items, including mattresses, mosquito nets and cooking utensils, as well as hygiene kits containing soaps, detergents and water purification tablets, commonly known as Aqua Tabs.
Mr Darko noted that the provision of hygiene supplies was particularly important because flooding could compromise water quality and expose affected communities to waterborne diseases and the items were therefore intended to promote safe hygiene practices and reduce potential health risks.
“The intervention is a temporary measure to complement the Government’s efforts, through NADMO, to support affected people and help them restore their livelihoods. We are reaffirming IOM’s commitment to supporting Ghana in emergency preparedness and response.”
Mr Kwasi Attor, Director of Livelihood and Community Support at NADMO, said the assistance was intended to ease the hardships faced by flood victims and help them recover some of the property and essential household items lost during the disaster.
He appealed to benevolent organisations, philanthropists and the Government to support efforts to establish more effective mechanisms to prevent recurring floods in the coastal communities, and stressed the need for sustainable measures to safeguard lives and property.
Mr Kwame Dzudzorli Gakpey, Member of Parliament for Keta, and Mr Wisdom Seade, the Municipal Chief Executive, who received the items on behalf of the affected communities, expressed appreciation to IOM for the timely intervention.
They said the support would make a positive difference in the lives of beneficiaries, particularly vulnerable households struggling to recover from the effects of the flooding, and urged them to use the items responsibly to derive maximum benefit.
One of the beneficiaries, Mr Moses Tetey, who spoke to the GNA, expressed gratitude for the assistance, and stated thay the items would help ease the difficulties faced by affected households.
He pledged that the beneficiaries would make good use of the supplies and called for additional interventions, including the dredging of the lagoon to increase its water-holding capacity and reduce the risk of overflowing and future flooding in the area.
GNA
Edited by: Maxwell Awumah /Kenneth Odeng Adade