One of the most visited tourism destinations in the country, Nzulezu, has been engulfed by floodwaters, the first time in decades.

Also known as the village on stilts, the community succumbed to the floods alongside other places such as Elubo, Beyin, Ghana Nungua and Fawomaen, all in the Jomoro Municipality.

This is the latest effect of torrential rain in many parts of the Western Region for several days.

The downpour caused River Amanzule on which the village sits to break its banks, leading to the floodwaters engulfing the stilts and flooding other communities across a vast area.

The frontage of the carnal, the footbridge leading to the village and the reception centre of Nzulezu are inaccessible, while residential facilities on a long stretch near the river are also under water.

Homes and streets at Beyin, Elubo and Ghana Nungua have been taken over by floodwaters, compelling residents to take shelter in some schools.

The most affected communities include Apremdo, Awusedjoe, Ayiem and many communities along the Takoradi-Tarkwa road.

Last Friday, many commuters on the stretch recounted harrowing experiences when the portion of the road at the Saint Mary Boys Senior High School got flooded. 

At Ewusedzoe, most residents living in low lying areas around the Butre River had to relocate to the houses of relatives occupying hilly areas.
 
Evacuation 

Nzulezu, the popular tourism site, remained the most affected by floods in the municipality and all residents, about 480, have been evacuated. 

The floods also led to the displacement of thousands of residents in the Jomoro Municipality and as such require urgent national attention to support the efforts of the municipal assembly.

The residents of the affected areas, who have also lost valuables and personal belongings, are currently putting up in classrooms and other public buildings. 

Urgency 

The Coordinating Director of the Jomoro Municipal Assembly, Joyce Angmorteh, said currently, the people needed urgent attention.

“They need clothing, food and some medical items due to the weather,” she said. 

“We have made some arrangements in the communities hosting them to ensure that some hot meals are prepared for them and for those in the classrooms and other public places, we have rented mattresses for them,” Mrs Angmorteh said.

“At Nzulezu, due to its strategic location, what we did was to first arrange with the assembly members to get both manual and motorised boats to move everybody to Beyin,” the coordinating director said.

“At the moment, the assembly is doing everything to ensure the communities affected are provided with some level of support to keep them at fairly or comfortable high temperatures and safe, while we continue to assess other communities,” Mrs Angmorteh added.

She explained that the assembly had tasked the municipal office of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) to assess the extent of the floods and the displaced people to help with the management of the situation.

The Municipal NADMO Officer, Simon Amoah, said from his preliminary assessment, the most affected area was the village on stilt, adding “they were in the middle of the river and we have moved the entire community from their comfort zone to classrooms on land, therefore, we have to fend for them.” 

He said they needed a lot of support for their upkeep until the Amanzule River got to its normal level.

An assembly member at Beyin, Patrick Agbovi, said the current situation required support from all quarters “the assembly is doing its best – but the truth is that aside  from Beyin and areas we know already there are many others.”

“We need more support for our people, considering the level of the river now, it will take a long time to recede, hence the need for support,” he said.

At the time the Daily Graphic visited, those from Nzulezu who were putting up in the classroom were up and resting on the corridors of the school. 

Mr Agbovi said the schools were on vacation, therefore, the evacuees could spend some two weeks before school reopened. 

Takoradi, Tarkwa stretch

Last Friday, commuters from Takoradi to Tarkwa could not use the road at the portion at the Saint Mary Boys Senior High School due to floods. 

Hundreds of vehicles were stranded as they could not pass through the floods, coupled with the poor road surface which compelled the commuters to walk from Baehu to Apremdo, wading through floodwaters for minutes to board vehicles to Takoradi with their luggage.

The commuters had to be guided or carried through the marauding floodwaters.

The situation cut the movement of vehicles coming from Takoradi to other parts of the Western Region, particularly Tarkwa, Sefwi Wiawso, Elubo, Axim and Atuabo.

The Saint Mary Boys Senior High School area has been described by commuters as flood-prone.

Some drivers told the Daily Graphic that the bad road, including the lack of drainage system in the Apowa area, contributed to the annual flooding.

A driver, Mieza Bonzu, said in spite of several appeals to the Ghana Highways Authority, nothing had been done.

Some drivers, however, took advantage of the situation to charge exorbitant fares to the chagrin of commuters.

A German volunteer, Heize Karl, said he was disappointed and expressed the hope that solutions would be found to solve the perennial occurrence.