Roads leading to Saboba and Chereponi from Tamale, Yendi and Wapuli are all inaccessible and one has to use a canoe to access the areas.

The bridges at Kpalba and Wapuli which connect Yendi to Saboba, Chereponi, Tamale and other parts of the country have also been washed away by flood waters.

The only alternative for travellers after Kpalba-Yendi has also been cut off.

Big gullies have been created on the roads, which has worsened the situation.

Stranded

The development has left residents of the area stranded and put emergency services, such as medical referrals, at risk.

The only alternative route through the North East Region is not only about three times the duration of the normal journey but the route is also in a deplorable state and almost unmotorable.

Speaking to the Daily Graphic yesterday, the Assembly Member for the Wapuli Electoral Area, Zakaria Nignamoan Sanduw, said residents had been left stranded in their various communities, as they could not move outside those areas.

He indicated that most farms had been destroyed by flood waters, adding that the situation had greatly affected business activities.

“Last Friday was Wapuli Market Day and market women would have come from other parts of the region to trade, but because of the current situation, they could not cross to the market," he said.

Mr Sanduw, therefore, appealed to the government to, as a matter of urgency, go to their aid to fix the bridges to enable them to access other parts of the region.

Urgent attention

The District Chief Executive (DCE) for Saboba, George Bingrini, who visited the affected communities to assess the situation, gave an assurance that the road would be fixed soon.

“I had discussions with the Deputy Minister of Roads and Highways, and as of this morning, arrangements had been made for a contractor to temporarily work on that side for the people to access the road,” he told the Daily Graphic yesterday.

Background

Flooding, occasioned by torrential rains, has been an annual predicament, affecting socio-economic activities in the area.

Successive governments have made promises to find a lasting solution, but they have yielded no results.