It has come to light that torrential rains cut off parts of the Wa-Nadowli-Lawra highway caused more damage to roads in the region than initially gathered.
The Upper West Regional Minister Dr Hafiz Bin Salih said he is devastated by the level of destruction of the roads in all Municipalities and Districts.
He was particularly worried that the damage could take several weeks or months to fix, particularly the highway.
The Regional Minister was accompanied by officials of the Ghana Highway Authority, the Department of Feeder Roads, National Disaster Management Organisation NADMO and some MDCEs.
The team toured municipalities and districts that have been badly affected by the rains with the helicopter of the Ghana Armed Forces.
Places visited were Sissala East, Daffiama Bussie-Isssa, Lawra, Jirapa and Nadowli.
The Minister then returned to Wa and went to Goriyiri where portions of the highway have been washed off.
The Road Area Manager for Wa of the Ghana Highway Authority, Vivian Kangkpeyeng said the damage at Goriyiri is a tip an eyeberg.
An official of the Department of Feeder Roads Emmanuel Norgan Bukari explained that while the Department is yet to assess the situation, information from community members indicate that several culverts in many communities have been washed away.
The Regional Director of NADMO Mr Mustapha Ahmed said his officers are unable to visit communities to assess damage to farms and houses due to the bad nature of the road following the rains.
The Regional Minister Dr Hafiz Bin Salih said the devastation caused by the rains has taken the development of the region backwards.
Dr Bin Salih said the situation needs huge intervention to address.
The Ghana Highway Authority therefore advised drivers who use the highway to divert to the Wa-Han road as an alternative.
Source: A1Radioonline.com| 101.1MHz| Mark Smith| Ghana
